The Roar of Comics

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Twenty Eight: Dreams in Darkness

2010-11-08T11:00:00.001-05:00

Plot: Batman is locked up in Arkham. A flashback reveals he was exposed to fear gas, crashed the Batmobile and was imprisoned by the well-meaning Arkham staff. Now Batman must escape his straightjacket and stop the Scarecrow from infecting the whole city with fear.

Another psychologically interesting episode of Batman, one that lays his flaws on table, specifically his inability to trust others. As he did in Appointment in Crime Alley, Batman cannot see a crime about to be committed and not step in, even when leaving the problem for the police is probably the right thing to do.

After being exposed to the fear gas, Dr. Wu gives Batman a clear choice: he can take the antidote, recover for two days, and let ANYONE ELSE, specifically Robin or Commissioner Gordon, handle the Scarecrow in the meantime, or he can delay recovery and try to take care of the Scarecrow himself. And Batman makes the obviously wrong choice. In trying to ignore the problem, Batman nearly kills himself in a car crash and gets himself locked up, cut off from his allies, all while the Scarecrow comes closer to launching his attack.

Notably, in the narration that covers the first half of the episode, Batman admits to two mistakes (he's wrong about the nature of the robbery, and he's wrong about the effect of the gas), but he never admits it was a mistake to drive to Arkham while under the influence of a powerful hallucinogen.

The two major dream sequences: running through a twisted Crime Alley, impotent to stop his parents from literally walking into a gun, and fighting his greatest foes as they shift from one into another, and into Alfred and Robin, suggest why Batman is hesitant to trust others. First, no police saved his parents, and if he can't save them, no else even seems to try. And secondly, Batman seems to fear betrayal from those closest to him, that their attempt to drag him from the shadows will actually doom him.

Which makes the final image so psychologically interesting. After rejecting Alfred and Dr. Wu's offers of help earlier, Bruce has submitted to Wu's treatment, administered by Alfred, as he sleeps in the Batcave (and not, say, his very nice bed in this very nice room upstairs). Bruce actually thanks Alfred, saying "It's good to know I'm safe here," so Bruce is learning to accept that he needs help.

Then a very angelic looking bat casts a very Batman-like shadow on Bruce, which suggests that the Batman persona, like Alfred, is a shield that protects Bruce while he recovers. Just as it's the screech of a bat that wakes Bruce from his worst delusion of the episode, being Batman isn't a madness. Being Batman is what keeps Bruce sane and helps him recover from the trauma of the loss of his parents.

That one of Batman's greatest is his villains is new. We've seen his fear of the loss of his parents before, and we saw in The Forgotten that the Joker haunts Batman's thoughts, but now we see a fear of new villains, Poison Ivy and Two-Face, whom Batman has only fought once (and it's only implied that Batman has fought the Penguin before I've Got Batman in my Basement.) We are watching a transition from Batman encountering villains for the first time in the middle of schemes unrelated to him, to villains like the Scarecrow actually setting traps for Batman, targeting him directly. The Joker has been doing that since his first episode, but this episode (and The Clock King) implies more villains are going to act like the Joker, and Batman's job is only going to get harder from hear on out.

Certainly, the Scarecrow is much better here than he has been before. He's better motivated, without the circular reasoning of using fear attacks in revenge for not being able to use fear attacks, or using fear attacks to make money to afford to be able to use fear attacks. Here, he simply wants to panic everybody in Gotham, just to find out what would happen if he did. Perfect villainous motivation. In addition to that, he's clever about his plan. He baits Batman into a trap before trying to scare everyone. He throws off everybody's suspicion by NOT escaping from Arkham, merely running his scheme from its basement. And Henry Polic II seems to have gotten the Scarecrow's voice down to the right tone of erudite menace. He no longer sounds like an English professor playing a Batman rogue for Halloween, but rather a truly brilliant and sadistic man, who likes to wear a scary mask. He also has a fabulous pocket watch (which Batman breaks).

Unfortunately, in order for the episode to work, Dr. Bartholomew, head of Arkham, has to be completely negligently incompetent. The Animated Series has a dim view of psychology, and psychiatrists and psychologists on the show range from merely ineffective, like Harvey Dent's therapist, to the outright evil, like Professor Jonathan Crane himself, and while not malicious, Dr. Bartholomew totally misdiagnoses Batman while he ignores everything Batman has to say.

The episode shows Batman DOES have problems trusting people and probably could use therapy, but that would require a psychiatrist who actually listens to him. Instead, Bartholomew diagnoses Batman off just the fact that Batman came to Arkham as someone who cannot tell reality from delusion, when in fact, being Batman, being a detective, is exactly what allows him to see through his hallucinations. But Bartholomew refuses to believe that Batman's hallucinations are gas-induced, calling it "supposed gas", as if the Scarecrow hasn't been using fear gas from the beginning. He refuses to contact Gordon or Dr. Wu like Batman asks, and even after discovering the Scarecrow missing, which proves Batman is right, insists on keeping Batman locked up.

The worst moments is when he chides Batman for not using the villains' real names, which is doubly stupid. I don't think Batman has yet referred to Two-Face or Poison Ivy as anything other than "Harvey" and "Isley", and NO ONE calls the Joker anything but the Joker. His reference to "Jack Napier" is the Joker's real name from the Burton film, but it's never mentioned again in this cartoon. Also, who is Bartholomew to talk? He's the one who leaves them in their costumes, reinforcing their villainous personas over their civilian ones.

Similarly, his explanation that the orderly cannot remove Batman's mask because Batman might become catatonic is utterly ridiculous. How are you supposed contact his loved ones if you don't know who he is? How do you know it's really Batman and not some idiot in a Batman costume? And how could it hurt to take off his mask while he's out of it, if you put it back on before he wakes up? Maybe Batman would learn to trust people, if he wasn't surrounded by idiots.

The other problem this episode has, though no fault of its own, is airing after the inferior Fear of Victory. All of talk about who could have used fear gas is silly, it's obviously the Scarecrow, who we've seen is the only one who uses that weapon. And Bartholomew's claims that Scarecrow couldn't have escaped seem hollow since we've already seen that he can. (If they wouldn't have seemed hollow before, since the first time we see Arkham is watching the Joker escape from it on the back of a rocket Christmas tree). Plus, this episode could have been the first time we see inside Arkham, but that was already used in the best scene in Fear of Victory. This episode almost feels like the head writers saw that scene, realized that should be an entire episode and decided to make this one, only they forgot to tell the guys behind Fear of Victory to stop work.

(Strangely, the interior of Arkham in Fear of Victory, with glass enclosed cells of concrete, looks very different from the one in Dreams in Darkness, where cells are made of stone and closed by iron doors. Considering we also don't see any other famous Arkham inmates, except in dreams, it's possible that Batman was thrown into the arcane practices wing, while the costumed villains are kept somewhere else.)

That said, once you get past those problems, this is a pretty great episode designed to get us inside Batman's head. The noirish narration, the superb dream sequences, the flawed hero, and the comforting image of the bat protecting Batman, closes out the season with style.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Twenty Seven: Mad as a Hatter

2010-10-29T11:00:00.002-04:00

Plot: WayneTech employee Jervis Tetch has invented a mind control device, which he uses to court Alice, his work-place crush, on an Alice in Wonderland inspired date. Then he just takes over her mind. Enter Batman.

The Mad Hatter is a relatively straightforward villain, hat-obsessed mind controller inspired by Lewis Carroll, who nevertheless has had varied interpretations of the years, usually having some perversion in some way. In some, and I'm looking at you Gail Simone, his hat obsession is a full blown sexual fetish. In others, Alice in Wonderland is the book Martha Wayne used to read Bruce, so he's a perversion of Batman's idyllic childhood. For the past twenty years or so, he's been portrayed as a pedophile, playing on the rumors of Lewis Carroll's relationship with Alice Liddell.

While this episode does not quite go that far, he's certainly the Animated Series's first attempted rapist. There's no other interpretation of what Tetch was going to do after kidnapping, brainwashing, and then dressing his Alice up. As adults, we can't assume he just wanted to have tea with her. Like Mojo, the Mad Hatter is one of the more disturbing of Batman villains for using fantastic technology to commit very real and all too common crimes.

This is made all the more disturbing because Tetch is the protagonist of this episode, and a sympathetic one at that. We're actually supposed to feel kind of sad his love for Alice perverts him into the monster we see at the end (as indicated by the crying Mock Turtle statue). We can see he's brilliant, that his boss doesn't appreciate him, but Bruce Wayne, his boss's boss, does, and that he genuinely seems to care for Alice. We can see why he would use his device to pretend to be a celebrity. His date with Alice is a fabulous bit of wish fulfillment.

A lot of credit for the sympathetic portrayal belongs to Roddy MacDowell's voice work which is kind, awkward, nervous, and totally reasonable when we meet him, then turns darker, meaner, and more controlling as the episode progresses. (His combination of obvious intelligence and subtle menace is how I wish the Scarecrow sounded)

We watch Tetch turn into a villain over the course of the episode, and not for revenge like most of the supervillains we've met so far. Even from the beginning of the date, we can see that Tetch is a psychopath in a clinical sense. When he saves Alice from muggers, he off-handedly tells them to jump in the river. He may not have meant to kill them, which in fact would be worse. He does not see anyone but Alice and himself as human, and has no trouble using people as puppets, and by the end of the episode he uses Alice as a puppet as well.

Tetch gets crazier and crazier (or, as he says, "curiouser and curiouser") as the episode progresses. It's whimsical to show up for a date dressed as the Mad Hatter, but Tetch goes to work in the costume the next day. Thwarted, he crushes roses in his hand, and starts bleeding, and we haven't seen blood since the first episode. He becomes paranoid, gathering an army of henchmen BEFORE he has any reason to believe that Batman is after him. (At least he stole their on-theme costumes, rather than stay up all night sewing them himself.) And at the end, the Mad Hatter blames BATMAN for making him mind-control Alice, though it's clear he as going to do that whether Batman showed up or not.

His paranoia changes how he controls people too. During the date, he only uses his mind control cards to make people who are otherwise acting normal treat him better. Afterwards, as Alice slips away from him, he starts using the cards to change people, first turning Billy against Alice, then literally dressing up the people around him as the characters in his favorite book. It's not a coincidence that Batman fights the Mad Hatter's army on a chessboard, since these are his pawns.

The showdown at the storybook land has some of the Animated Series few nods to realism. Structurally, it's as much of a fantasy fight setting as the temple complete with death traps in Joker's Favor or the giant gears in the clock tower in Clock King, but here, the maze of cards is really built for children. So when Batman becomes trapped in it, he simply climbs out, cause he's Batman. (It also contains a zinger from Alfred that gets a chuckle even out of Batman, that Bruce Wayne's usual breakfast is "toast, coffee, and bandages.")

This is yet another beautifully put together episode. The designers went to town on playing with the Alice in Wonderland theme, starting with the John Tenniel inspired title card, to the mice drinking while wearing tiny fez, to the obviously costumes and yet still terrifying wardrobe of the Hatter's goons. We know Tetch's boss will be the Queen of Hearts almost from the moment we meet her. And we know it's all over the Jabberwocky itself comes for Tetch, subtly implying that Batman himself has "the claws the catch." All in all, this episode is one of the better pairings of Batman's fantasy trappings to a core plot about a very real crime.

Batman: the Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Twenty Six: Appointment in Crime Alley

2010-10-28T11:00:00.001-04:00

Plot: Batman has an appointment at Crime Alley, little knowing that at 9 o'clock, an arsonist will destroy the rundown slum to make way for Roland Daggett's new development.

This is the first episode of Batman: the Animated Series, to be based on a specific story from the comics, in this case Denny O'Neal and Dick Giordono's classic "There is no Hope in Crime Alley." That story established that, on the anniversary of his parents' death, Batman lays two roses down on the spot where they were killed, alongside the aging socialite who found and comforted him that night, long ago.

Comic book veteran Gerry Conway (who created Killer Croc) adds to that story a literal ticking clock plot and a heaping does of social commentary. The sharp divide between Bruce Wayne's upper class and the poor homeless and criminal lower class has been seen before (I think the only middle class person we see is Charlie Collins, who moves the hell away from Gotham). But this episode foregrounds the class conflict.

Roland Daggett is a force of "urban redevelopment," improving Gotham. But it's clear he has no interest in improving Gotham for the people who already live there, the "underclass" who "do not value lives the way we do." What an amazingly dehumanizing stance the man has. He frames the debate as a conflict between "the future and the past, "the weak and the strong" and, like all great lies, there's an element of truth to his claim. Crime Alley IS a rundown slum and a breeding ground for crime, like the gunman who holds a Daggett employee hostage, or the mugger who killed the Waynes.

But not everyone who lives in Crime Alley is a criminal. Most, like the mother and daughter at the beginning, have no where else to go, and others, like Leslie Thompkins, have lived there all their lives and simply do not want leave. Furthermore, forcibly moving everyone, citizen and criminal, out of Crime Alley wouldn't fix the problem, it would only move the crime to some other neighborhood.

Ironically, this episode uses the clocks better than the Clock King. We know from the first scene that 9pm is the deadline, when Nitro (David Lander doing a Peter Lorre impression) gives a demonstration of the destruction he plans, and all the clocks, (pocketwatches, digital readouts, and clocktowers) ratchet the attention up through the episode. By this point, we no longer fear that Batman can't fight or gadget his way though out of any situation, so most of the tension is waiting for him to learn that time is running out, which he does before, like a pimp, locking the thugs in the van filled with dynamite.

(The van, by the way, advertises "J. Olsen and Sons' Photography", the first definitive reference to a DC Comics character outside the Batman canon.)

The successive emergencies, besides distracting Batman from the major crime about to be committed, also demonstrate another side of Batman, that he cannot willingly ignore someone in danger, even if, possibly, he should. It's easy to understand why he stops to help the girl save her mother, all he's doing is missing his appointment with Leslie Thompkins, and while Skeletal Thomas Wayne Ghost might be disappointed, it's clearly the right choice. When he saves the runaway trolly, even when he knows Leslie's been kidnapped by that point, he's making the calculation of saving dozens or more lives over the life of one person (and one Batmobile).

But his interruption of the hostage situation is kind of a dick move. The police have the man surrounded, and Gordon is already on the scene (though he doesn't have any lines). But Batman charges in anyway, because "the hostage might be hurt" if the police rush in, dismissive of any experience or training they might have. And it's not clear his method is better, since yelling at and then jumping on the gunman causes everyone to fall, almost to their deaths. It's totally possible to read the policeman's "Good thing you showed up," as awesomely sarcastic.

But that's how Batman rolls, and the great part of this episode is that it shows how Batman became Batman. Despite being a semi-regular presence, this is the first time we actually learn how the Waynes died and implicitly how that inspired Bruce to don the cowl of the Bat. Similarly, we learn of one more influence on young Bruce, besides Alfred and the Gray Ghost. He may have learned to be a superhero from Simon Trent, and how to drop a devastating one-liner from Mr. Pennyworth, it's from Leslie Thompkins that he learns his compassion, and also his courage and hope. Leslie Thompkins refuses to give up on her home, no matter how bad it gets, and tries to make things better. She is in every way the antithesis of Roland Daggett, and proof that "good people still live in Crime Alley."

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Twenty Five: The Clock King

2010-10-27T11:00:00.001-04:00

Plot: In revenge for making him late, Temple Fugit wages a terrorism campaign against Mayor Hill, and will kill Batman if Batman gets in the way.

This is one of my favorite episodes, and the reason is almost entirely the Clock King himself. He's everything a minor Batman villain should be, themed from weapon to location to McGuffin to horribly punny real name, a mental threat, capable of creating real traps and dead ends, as well as a physical threat, more than able to defend himself when Batman comes to punch him.

There are only two moments the Clock King is not ahead of Batman (when Batman uses the dueling deathtraps of a bomb and vacuum pump against each other to escape, and when Batman redirects the Clock King's cane into the gears of the clock tower). Otherwise, the Clock King completely controls this episode, from the street lights to the trains, to knowing Batman's every move and piece of equipment and being prepared for anything.

The animation for this episode is possibly the best yet. Each sequence, from the ever worsening flashback at the beginning, to the escape from the bank vault, to the train crash, is expertly done. But the final fight in the gears of the clock tower is exceptional. Totally surreal, completely illogical (really, throwing one gear out of joint causes the whole thing to crash?), but perfect for a cartoon fight and a Batman cartoon at that. It is an utterly mesmerizing episode.

My only real question is why this is not the first Riddler episode. I mean, look at the Clock King, bowler hat, sharp suit, on-theme cane/sword: he's basically a palette swapped Riddler in design anyway. He behaves in a very Riddler-esque style, leading Batman into death traps, taking control of the city's systems and using them to his advantage, basically playing a very deadly game of chess with the city's protectors. The Riddler will even be introduced in a very similar Revenge plot episode (though the Riddler will be SLIGHTLY better justified). So why use a great Riddler plot on a minor villain?

Especially since, like they had with Mr. Freeze, they were basically inventing the Clock King anyway. There is a Clock King in the comics, a Green Arrow villain who made his way onto the Adam West tv show for two episodes, but that's a completely different character, with a different punning real name (William Tockman). That character was an incompetent crook who used clock themed weapons badly. He had none of the (Riddler-esque) character ticks this Clock King exhibits, the emotionless demeanor, the machine-like command of facts and details, the absolute disdain for inefficiency and improvisation. So if they were going to create a character who acts just like the Riddler, why didn't they just use the Riddler?

Other notes: This is the first time we see Batman operate in costume in broad daylight, something considered taboo by the story bible. In fact, in sharp contrast to the usual style of the show, the entire episode takes place during the day (the majority between 8:47 am and 3:15 pm, in fact). While the quick change sequence was good (and very Superman-like) as he runs into a revolving door and changes, in silhouette, while running up the stairs, one can imagine a very different episode where Bruce felt compelled to solve this problem without ever changing into costume, as much a slave of his rituals as the Clock King.

This also represents the first time Batman has saved Mayor Hill directly. Yes, he saved Jordan Hill, but it's unclear if the Mayor knows Batman was there, or that his son was ever in any real danger. One wonders if his opinion of Batman has changed since the first episode, where he ordered a manhunt for Batman.

Also, like Clayface, the Clock King simply escapes at the end of the episode, leaving the plot unresolved. It's not clear why he would stop trying to kill the Mayor, or why Batman would stop looking for him. But the Clock King won't be for awhile, and Batman won't even think about him until he reappears.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Twenty Four: Fear of Victory

2010-10-26T11:00:00.001-04:00

Plot: The Scarecrow is poisoning athletes with fear, and accidentally gets Robin as well. Now Robin must overcome his fear before the Scarecrow causes a mass panic at a Gotham Knights game.

Design-wise, the return of the Scarecrow is great. The score brings back the high string theme from Nothing to Fear throughout, and the use of shadows and light create a real horror movie atmosphere. Also like Nothing to Fear, the animators have fun with the fear induced hallucinations, the athletes turning into the monsters and the street spiraling away from Robin as he dangles on a rope. And they've greatly improved the Scarecrow design, giving him a crooked smile and crazy eyes, so his head looks like a Jack-O-Lantern rather than sock.

The highlight is our first real visit inside Arkham Asylum. We've seen it briefly, usually at the ends of episodes to let us know where Mr. Freeze ended up. But here we actually see inside, with its long corridors of deep shadows and its policy of allowing patients to wear their costumes in their cells. It's no wonder no one seems to recover here. The scene of Batman walking along the row of cells, each one filled with a villain we've previously seen, The Joker playing solitaire with a deck of Jokers, Two-Face flipping a coin, Poison Ivy, reasonably moved from Stonegate Prison, protecting her plant, builds tension and dread before the reveal that the Scarecrow has, in fact, escaped.

Otherwise, this episode is kinda lousy. It's just so low stakes. Fixing sporting events feels beneath the Scarecrow, a step down from his terrorist campaign against the University in his first episode. C'mon, master of fear, you can do better than this.

And his plan is full of holes. Why didn't any of the Scarecrow's doctors notice he was missing before? Why is Batman the only one who suspects the athletes are being drugged? Wouldn't doctors test for that? Why didn't the Scarecrow use a lower dose, or less often, or bet at different bookies, to not draw attention? Why does he have to be at the game to drug the player or make the bet, and why does he have to be there in costume? Why does he need money in the first place? Can't he just steal chemicals like a respectable Man-Bat does?

Also, Batman acts like a dick in the entire episode. He's entirely unsympathetic to Robin's suffering, despite going through his own fear drug induced trauma a few episodes back. And instead of giving Robin the "I am so proud of you" speech Alfred gave, he's constantly telling Robin to "get it together" and "shake it off," or he's teasing him by promising to "drive real slow." He's also a dick to Commissioner Gordon, condescendingly telling him to "put two and two together." The only person he shows even the slightest kindness towards is the lady in the bathrobe who gives him an admiring, breathy "oh my." Batman stops long enough to give her a half smile, before running out again to, oh yeah, rescue Robin from falling to his death.

In contrast, Robin is SO WHINY. Yeah, he's recovering from a fear gas attack, but he's being pretty wimpy about it. Batman had nightsweats, and dreams of his dead father as a giant skeleton, and he still managed to leap onto an attack zeppelin. Robin has trouble walking across a bridge without complaining about it. This could have been for Robin what Nothing to Fear was for Batman, a chance to show what drive Robin, what makes him tick. But the only thing we see him afraid of is heights, which we know is the opposite of how he usually behaves. So all we learn is that Robin does not take being poisoned as well as Batman does.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Twenty Three: Vendetta

2010-10-25T11:00:00.001-04:00

Plot: When Spider Conway, a prisoner about to testify against Rupert Thorne, disappears in an explosion, Batman suspects that Harvey Bullock is behind it. But Harvey is being framed by Killer Croc, a monstrous reptile man Bullock sent to jail two years ago.

There's a great episode that could have been here. Bullock has so far been the voice of anti-Batman sentiment, but before this episode, all of Bullock's posturing about bringing Batman in because he's a dangerous lunatic, a vigilante force, is played as hot air, that Bullock's main concern is protecting himself from Batman.

But here we have an episode where Batman is just wrong, and he's going after an innocent man, specifically Harvey himself. If Batman had REALLY interrogated Bullock, showed up in his room, roughed him up, and threw him off a roof (as he does with Thorne), then they could have SHOWN that Bullock has a point, that there should be limits on what Batman can do.

That's a big problem with the episode. There's a lot of telling, without showing. Gordon says Bullock is a good cop, but we never see it. We never see Bullock be a good detective. Apparently Bullock arrested Croc on his own two years ago. Considering Batman has trouble fighting Croc, that could have been something to see, but we don't. Worse, we never see Bullock be a good man. How much better would the episode have been if, instead of sleeping through the final fight with Croc, Bullock had helped, actually risked his life to save Batman's? For an episode that revolves around him, Bullock is singularly passive the entire time.

I mentioned before that I find Killer Croc to be a boring villain. My problem with him is that there isn't much to him. He was born looking like a crocodile for never explained reasons, he is superstrong, and he pursues a life of crime. But he's fine here. The plot requires a villain Batman hasn't heard of before (so the Penguin's out) who will also be formidable physical threat once he's revealed. And that's all Croc is and needs to be, a good visual and reasonable threat.

Though Croc's plan in this episode is good, even clever. Take out the men who testified against him while framing the cop who arrested him at the same time. The only real question is why he kept Conway and Joey the Snail alive in his underwater cave. The answer "because it's a kid show and no one can be killed" doesn't quite sit right, because the menacing shot of Croc moving in on a cowering, screaming Conway implies he was doing something to them in that cave, and torture is the least awful thing it could be.

(Spider Conway, by the way, is named after Killer Croc's creator, Gerry Conway.)

Production-wise, a top notch episode. The score's solid throughout. The animation, particularly the fight in the sewers at the end, is very well done. When Batman and Croc hit each other, they feel like they have weight, that they're solid objects, rather than the rubbery dolls from Beware the Gray Ghost. And the design evokes a noir mood throughout, from the never-ending rain at the beginning to the shadowy bridge when Gordon meets Batman, to the dark cave where we first see Croc step into the light.

One really off note in the plot, however, is how Batman begins to suspect Croc. First, Croc leaving behind one of his scales at a scene of a crime seems awfully careless for a guy who purposely left a toothpick at the same scene to frame Bullock. If they were going to find the toothpick, they were going to find the scale. But, whatever, Batman needed to find a clue somehow.

But it gets worse. Looking at a thing that looks reptilian but is actually human, does Batman go through police records and databases to see if anyone fits that description, particularly someone Bullock arrested in the last few years? Nope. He has no clue what to do with that until Alfred says "microwavable crock." Great detective work there, Bruce.

However, THAT doesn't lead him to Croc either, only that he's looking for some kind of crocodile-man. Does Bruce check out a book on crocodile behavior? Does he ask questions of the zoo's reptile expert? Does he knock on Kirk Langstrom's door to see if he was making Man-Crocodile? Nope. Bruce goes to an animatronic exhibit for children at the theme park "Ocean World." It is one of the stupidest things I have ever seen, and even if it was meant to be campy funny, it's so out of tune with the dark crime fiction feel of the rest of the episode that it stands out like, well, a giant grey man-crocodile.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Twenty Two: Joker's Favor

2010-10-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

Plot: Two years ago, the Joker spared Charlie Collins's life in exchange for a favor. Now, on the eve of a banquet in honor of Commissioner Gordon, the Joker calls the favor in.

Easily one of my favorite episodes, Joker's Favor is the Animated Series take on Cape Feare, with the Joker the obsessive psychotic, who will play with someone's life for two years for no greater reason than as a hobby. Yes, Charlie curse at the Joker, but he certainly doesn't earn the Joker's wrath as much as Gordon or Batman has. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Joker is especially psychotic in this episode. He obsessively tracks Charlie to another state, noting that Charlie "owes me a favor!" as if the Joker might forget that. He's fixed his hatred on Gordon, moving from previous targets Mayor Hill (who cameos) and Batman himself. Even the nature of favor is insane. Charlie just has to open a door, which either of the Joker's two thugs who were also in the room could have done. All of his actions move him from being an extreme personality to one that has actually become unfathomable. You just cannot understand why he would torment someone for two years, only to kill him off-handedly.

He's also such a delightful dick in this episode. After being chewed out for not signalling, the Joker makes a big show of signalling while chasing Charlie to his death. He actually throws down two cents to challenge Charlie. He makes sure to give Charlie a big hug when they meet again and makes fun of Charlie's baldness and weight. He even keeps Charlie mobile but trapped before blowing him up, just so Charlie has a chance to beg for his life. What a villain!

This episode makes a nice follow up to Be a Clown, with Charlie Collins standing in for Jordan Hill. There, we saw a child's interaction with the Joker, here we see an adult's. Of course, for adults, the Joker is just as scary, but in a different way. The Joker is an immediate threat to Jordan, a monster that is coming for him. Here, the Joker is a looming threat to Charlie's wife and son, a constant nagging fear.

Of course, skipping to the end, we learn that the Joker is of course, just a bully. A lot of his power comes from the fear he induces in his victims beforehand, making people believe that only Batman can stop him. But one good punch to the solar plexus and little "I might be crazy" routine and the Joker changes his tune right quick. Of the four Joker episodes so far, this is by far his most satisfying defeat. Not only does he have to beg Batman to save him again, but instead of tripping or getting one good kick the chest, he's actually out witted and out joked, and by a "nobody" at that.

Charlie makes a pretty great "everyman," with pudgy features, bald head with a pathetic attempt at a combover, and his own theme music pulled out of a 50s sitcom. He's a loser, but he's not a bad guy. He is motivated by his family's safety and he's surprisingly resourceful, basically inventing the Batsignal in a world that lacks it. Ed Begley Jr. voices him with such a put-upon tone, like he was defeated long before he crossed paths with a supervillain.

But, of course, the really big story is that this is the first episode with Harley Quinn, who is easily the most popular character created by the show. You can see her development from Be a Clown, because she is exactly what the Joker was trying to turn Jordan Hill into, a mini-version of himself who is also his biggest fan. Harley literally cheers almost everything the Joker says, and finds his plans brilliant and his jokes hilarious. We know she's not just any thug, because she has her own costume. We don't know her origin, a couple lines to Batman implies that she's new on the scene and possibly a beauty school drop out, but that doesn't get at just how dark her relationship with the Joker actually is.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Twenty and Twenty One: Feat of Clay

2010-10-21T11:00:00.002-04:00

Plot: On orders from the ruthless industrialist, movie actor Matt Hagen impersonates and frames Bruce Wayne for attacking Lucius Fox, using a face cream that allows him to reshape his face. But Hagen is addicted to the cream, and when he tries to steal it, Daggett's men drown him in it. Instead of killing him, the cream turns him into the monstrous, shapeshifting Clayface, who swears revenge on the man who destroyed his life.

There's been a few Clayfaces in the comics, and this version is actually a combination of the first two. His name and powers are taken from the second Clayface, but his personality and origin are closer to the first Clayface, Basil Karlo (get it?), a movie actor who tries to get revenge on the studio that ignored him. Roland Daggett, on the other hand, is a Batman: the Animated Series original, though in character and appearance, he greatly resembles Norman Osborn, the civilian identity Spider-Man villain the Green Goblin. Like Rupert Thorne, Daggett gets called in whenever the script calls for "evil businessman."

When I started, I decided to review these two-part episodes as one story, but in this case I wonder if I should review them separately, because the first part is pretty boring, while the second part is fantastic.

Structurally, this story resembles Two-Face, but where as the first part of Two-Face allowed us to get into Harvey Dent's head, see where he's coming from, see why he makes the mistakes that led to his downfall, before getting to "The Revenge Plot" in part two, Matt Hagen's barely in the first part of Feat of Clay, really only two scenes where he's himself, and what we see isn't very compelling.

Hagen is violent, selfish, vain, impetuous (read: stupid), and abusive to Teddy, his best friend, stand-in, roommate, and I'm just going on circumstantial evidence, boyfriend. (Undoubtedly, Teddy plays the same role Harvey's fiance Grace played). Teddy implies it's the magic face cream (Renuyu) that's making Matt crazy, but since we never see him without it, we never have a reason to like Matt, so it's not a tragedy when we find Matt turned into a puddle of mud at the end of the episode.

Meanwhile, most of the first episode follows Batman's assbackward attempt to clear Bruce Wayne. The chase sequence where Batman flies a plane through a tunnel to impale a car might be impressive looking, but it's both pointless (he gets no information) and needlessly risky, considering he does get the information he needs in the second episode using nothing more than a precariously placed jar of sea water. Add to that he gets arrested sneaking into Lucius Fox's hospital room, and you have to wonder if they're going to take that "World's Greatest Detective" mug away from him.

But then we get to the second episode, and things pick up immediately. One wonders why it's a two-part episode anyway, why they couldn't just have started with the already transformed Clayface coming for his revenge on the businessman who caused his accident, except that then the episode would be Heart of Ice again, but really, would that be so bad?

Clayface is the most dangerous villain Batman has faced so far, since NOTHING Batman does hurts him in anyway. He can't punch him, kick him, drop him off a roof. Gas probably wouldn't do anything. And in the end, they reveal electricity has no effect either. If only Batman could "freeze" him somehow, maybe using some kind of a "freeze" gun powered by "freeze" technology. But where would he get something like that?

But I digress. Besides being invulnerable, Clayface can become anybody or anything. He likes to impersonate authority figures, cops, doctors, Bruce Wayne, big women in mumus in talk show audiences, which done right could make a paranoia infused episode that would make See No Evil feel like a walk in the park. This episode only hints at those possibilities, preferring to play Clayface BIG, an unstoppable mudslide that just steamrolls Batman for an entire episode.

The animation of Clayface is fantastic. When he's shapeshifting while fighting, the animation is fluid and heavy, so each impact is felt. But when he changes his face, from human to his muddy self, or his "death" scene, spinning wildly from form to form, the face tears and rips in painful looking ways. His transformation on stage before attacking Daggett directly, BURSTING out of his female form, is one of the great entrances on the show.

And how about a hand for Ron "Hellboy" Perlman as the voice of Clayface? Yeah, in the first part, he only plays the part of a jerk, but in the second, he gets to be the voice of a jerk who is also a demi-god and starting to really enjoy being superpowerful. Ed Asner also is nicely menacing as Roland Daggett, which is who Ferris Boyle would be if he didn't even pretend to be humane. The surprisingly strong voice work comes from Ed Bagely Jr., who plays Daggett's germophobic Alfred. The interrogation scene where Batman takes total advantage of his phobia works because of Bagely's delivery, trying desperately to be brave in the face of both Batman and unspeakable disease.

The only really false note in the second episode is the revelation that electricity has no effect on Clayface. Sure, it's there to set-up his inevitable return, but, if Hagen was faking his death, it's not at all clear why he would do that. We're supposed to think that seeing images of all the roles he played freaked Clayface out so much he lost control, but clearly he has enough control to create a fake Clayface shell and escape when no one is looking. And if he's free and alive, it's unclear why he stops going after Daggett. Instead of opening up for the possibility of Clayface coming back, the revelation that he's alive and well just unresolves the plot, but oops, we're out of time, so that's all the story you get for today. Boo.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Nineteen, Prophecy of Doom

2010-10-20T11:00:00.000-04:00

Plot: when Bruce Wayne's friend Ethan Clark tells Bruce that a psychic saved him from a series of disasters, Batman suspects this Nostromos is actually causing the disasters in a scheme to steal a lot of money. Turns out Batman's right.

This episode is a mixed bag of some good ideas that don't quite gel into a good story. That's probably because the villains, Nostromos and his right hand man Lucas, are not very compelling villains. Lucas is a non-entity who is surprisingly good at fighting Batman. And Nostromos might have been a fun parody of Marvel's Dr. Strange, but he comes across as a watered down mix of Dr. Orpheus and Zorak.

Nostromos lacks interest because we know right away that he's a fraud. We see the time bomb that sinks the gambling ship, so we know that was sabotage. Ethan's daughter Lisa states her suspicion that Nostromos is behind the disasters almost immediately. Maybe if they had teased the possibility that Nostromos was in some way legit, he would be more compelling. And there no reason he couldn't be, considering that Batman fought an invisible man two episodes ago.

Which is kind of a shame, because there are a lot of good ideas here. For one thing, this is the first time we really explore the social circle Bruce belongs to, and it's not a pretty picture: uniformly white, overweight, and utterly credulous. These are people like Bruce who have inherited their wealth ("old conservative stock"as Ethan says) and spend their days gambling on cruise ships and worrying that society will collapse. When informed that "the Great Fall" will happen soon, instead of telling the world to possibly prevent it, they form a "Secret Brotherhood" to protect their own wealth and be in a better position to rebuild society, as if they did not have all the power already.

There's also a subtle critique of religion. Nostromos's con has very strong religious tones, from the cultish hooded robes his followers wear, to the prosthelytizing Ethan does on Nostromos behalf. Even when the jig is up, and Nostromos is threatening his life and the life of his daughter, Ethan protests "I believed in you. You saved me," as if Nostromos is his personal messiah. When Bruce quotes Shakespeare at the end, "the fault lies not in the stars, but in ourselves," that's the voice of reason saying Ethan, and no one or thing else, is responsible of Ethan's life.

The most interesting character here then becomes Lisa Clark, voiced by Heather Locklear, who rejects Nostromos and pleads with her father to be reasonable. In many ways, Lisa acts the way Bruce would, if Bruce didn't pretend to be an idiot when he's in civilian clothes. She resemble Julie Madison, Bruce's original fiancee from the comics, as the heiress who wants to do more than inherit her wealth, and might have been an good on-going love interest for Bruce, but she's never seen again after this episode.

This episode is full of missed opportunities like that. After almost being killed, Bruce decides to run a con on the con-man, which might have been fun. But the con only lasts for one scene where Bruce can't even pretend to be surprised when Nostromos flies. When dropped into a spotlight, Batman and Lucas are animated in a Sin City-esque high contrast, black and white style and when the models of planets start crashing into each other, the music becomes a riff on Mars, the Bringer of War by Gustav Holst. But both of these moments last just long enough to see what they're doing, but are not explored in anyway. Even Batman being an entertaining dick, flinging Nostromos around on his string like a puppet or dropping a planet on him, could have been done better, perhaps embarrassing Nostromos in front of all of his followers, and not just the one he was about to kill anyway.

And then there's the questions that just take you out of the episode. Why does Batman change into his bat-costume BEFORE escaping a plummeting elevator? Why con his way into the Secret Brotherhood when he could just tail Ethan there, as Lisa does? Why are the rings on the model of Saturn honed razor sharp? These are little things, but in an episode as weak as this, it just brings the whole thing down. So, in the end, what could have been a great episode ends up being eh, at best.

One final note, the Gotham Observatory is modeled on the Griffith Park Observatory, famously seen in Rebel Without a Cause. We last saw it in Christmas with the Joker, where it had been turned into a giant cannon. Presumably that was cleaned out before Nostromos moved in.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Eighteen: Beware the Gray Ghost

2010-10-19T11:00:00.001-04:00

Plot: When a series of bombings seem inspired by an episode of young Bruce Wayne's favorite show, Batman seeks the help of the actor who played his childhood hero. Meta-commentary ensues.

Oh my god, you guys, this episode. I mean, as good as this show is, not every episode inspires a lot of analysis. There's only so many ways to say child abduction = bad or Heart of Ice is an awesome episode (though it is). But this episode...

Even on just a textual level, there's a lot going on. We are seeing where Batman got the idea to be a superhero, and how much being Batman is the way a child would react to the tragedy of crime. We've already seen, repeatedly, how Batman inspires children to be heroes. Here we see how he himself was inspired as a child.

In fact, Batman comes off a little crazy in this episode. He seems to have trouble telling the difference between an actor and the character the actor plays, addressing notes to the character and getting huffy when the actor, patiently, explains that he's not really that character. And that's before we learn the the Batcave is Bruce's re-creation of the set of the Gray Ghost, and that he has a Gray Ghost shrine hidden in a closet.

And of course the villain of the piece is also a man-child, obsessed with toys and nostalgia, even using toys to commit his crimes, so he can buy more toys. When he ends up blowing up all of his own toys, he resembles no one so much as Poison Ivy, except Poison Ivy took it better.

Simon Trent, the actor trying to put the Gray Ghost behind him, comes across as the most adult character in the episode, worrying about the rent and trying to play other parts. However, the resolution to his character arc is that he embraces his history and wears his costume again with pride. This creates dueling morals: the villain is bad because he cannot put away childish things, but the heroes are good because they revel in them.

But that's the surface. Because the Gray Ghost isn't just Bruce Wayne's inspiration, he's a stand-in for all of the pulp heroes that inspired Bob Kane and Bill Finger to create Batman, particularly Zorro and the Shadow. Everything about his design marks the Gray Ghost as a 40s film serial hero. He has the upbeat horns theme music (similar to another modern take on the 40s hero, Indiana Jones). His posters are him towering over art deco buildings in a very Shadow-esque manner. Even the opening to his TV show is the way a live action show would do the opening sequence to Batman: the Animated Series (shot of the sky, pan down to crooks, hero appears to beat the crooks, dramatic pose), including the fact that in the 40s, THEY USED NARRATORS AND TITLE CARDS TO TELL YOU WHAT SHOW YOU'RE WATCHING.

Looked at in that light, we're seeing a passing of the torch, one generation of pulp hero paying respect to the last. We can see the transition from the Gray Ghost's stylized clothes (that are things people might actually wear) to the full effect costume (with pointy ears) of Batman. We also see that Batman has effectively replaced the older characters, assumed their place in the public psyche, so that they are forgotten. But Batman hasn't forgotten, and he still thinks they can help him.

But then the creators of the show went one step further, and cast Adam West as the Gray Ghost! Now, it's no longer about Batman teaming up with the Shadow, it's about Batman teaming up with older Batman.

Still with me? Because the show has one more screw to turn. The villain is Bruce Timm. Yes. Bruce Timm, creator, executive producer, and director of Batman: the Animated Series, is the voice and the model for the villainous Mad Bomber.

So the Mad Bomber isn't just a man-child, he's exactly the kind of fanboy who would create this show, obsessive in his recreation of the past (the toy cars he uses resembles the Batmobile from the old show), but with a need to make it darker by incorporating his Twilight Zone toys into the game and knocking the head of his Batman doll. So we have campy Batman and Batman teaming up to fight against the forces that made this very show.

Interpretations of Batman, from the Dark Night Returns to the Burton films even to the Animated Series itself, had been running away from the "Bam Pow" silliness of Adam West's Batman, but this episode turns that around. It basically says "yeah, last episode was about a father kidnapping his daughter, but he was invisible and called Mojo at the time, so we're not too serious".

We can read Bruce's reaction to the Gray Ghost, going from hero worship, to disillusionment and disgust, and going back to qualified worship, as the way a lot of Batman fans feel about the old show: as kids they loved it, as teenagers they hated it, and as adults they love it again, for what it is. This episode is about this version of Batman looking at the goofy, campy 1966 version and saying, "I would not be what I am today without you."

Other notes:

Casting Adam West adds another layer to the story, because Simon Trent becomes not just any actor, he's Adam West, and Christopher Reeve, and George Reeves, and every actor who played a superhero and couldn't find work afterwards. His impoverished state at the beginning reflects how superhero actors and superhero stories themselves have trouble being taken seriously by the mainstream (man, if only you could tell him to wait fifteen years).

The animation in this episode is off-model. It's a lot more dynamic, and the chase sequences have real energy, but at the same time, the bodies and machines are rubbery, and when the Batmobile goes over a hill, it bends with the road.

It's funny watching Batman feel nostalgic and watch his favorite childhood show while I am, um, feeling nostalgic and watching my favorite childhood show. I'm pretty sure at this point if you held up another mirror I'd fall into it.

And finally, in a blink and you'll miss bit of foreshadowing, Simon Trent shares the cover of People (another fine Time Warner product) with Matt Hagen: Man of a Million Faces. He's an actor with a completely different problem, but we won't meet him for a couple of episodes.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Seventeen, See No Evil

2010-10-18T11:00:00.015-04:00

Plot: Kimmy's invisible friend Mojo is real and robs jewelry stores. That's because he's actually Kimmy's father Lloyd Ventrix in an invisibility suit, and he's going to kidnap Kimmy if Batman can't find a way to stop him.

Hands down, this is one of the darkest, creepiest episodes of Batman: the Animated Series. Partly, that's due to the natural terror of an invisible villain, one who could be in the room RIGHT NOW. The animators pull out every trick they can to let you know where the man you can't see is, the dog that barks at nothing, the swinging gate that holds still a split second too long, panning the camera along a path, all things that you might see on any day, and they let your mind fill in the man who isn't there. That's before getting to the more overt stuff like the footprints in concrete, floating dolls, and Batman getting the stuffing knocked out of him.

But above and beyond the fantastic elements, the chilling part of this episode is the very real child abduction plot, along the lines of Be a Clown, but more so. Maybe that's because as a supervillain, the Joker always has an element of unreality to him, so his child abduction episode is a little more distant. On the other hand, most child abductions are committed by family members, so Lloyd is a villain that not only can exist in real life, but does. (And I appreciate that he IS Kimmy's father and not a stranger. If parents need to be needlessly scared someone is going to take their children, they should at least be scared of the right people).

Michael Gross captures the unsettling nature of Lloyd extremely well. Even at his nicest, when he's playing Mojo for Kimmy, there's a need to impress, to control Kimmy's emotions. When he grabs Helen's arm and shouts "Look at me!", we don't need to guess why she divorced him and got a restraining order (a good character moment: Kimmy is afraid of Lloyd when he's a stranger, but when he tells her he is her father, Kimmy is EVER MORE afraid of him). He even needs to impress Batman. He could just run away, or beat up Batman in silence, but he needs to gloat, to show Batman that he's the better man.

(Also creepy, Michael Gross was the father on Family Ties. Did the casting director for this show pick the nicest guy on every 80s sitcom to play the most disturbing villains? Is that how Bull ended up as Two-Face?)

The unsettling feeling is sustained by the music. For the Mojo scenes, we get a high pitched xylophone with a dread inducing cello underneath. This feeling is only made worse when we transition from "Land of the Perfect Day" music out of Peter and the Wolf for the Helen and Kimmy scenes back into the disturbing theme. In the finale, when Kimmy is talking to her new "imaginary" friend Batman, the cellos have been replaced with Batman's fanfare horns, so we know that everything is alright, unless you're a criminal.

For such a dark episode, it also contains some of the series funniest and silliest gags, as if the writers desperately needed to balance the show. The guard, biting his lip waiting to use the bathroom while Bruce Wayne changes, only to be smacked in the face when Batman dramatically emerges. The construction worker's "who me?" face when Batman yells at a seemingly empty room. The bum who, seeing Batman clinging to the top of an invisible car, turns to his friend and says, "I didn' know he could fly, too."

Oh yeah, the invisible car. That is very well pulled off. Not just the animation of Batman flying around the streets of Gotham, or letting scratches in the invisibility coating let the car appear slowly, but just the reveal that the car could turn invisible, this car that we've seen since the beginning, that's the same color as the un-activated invisibility suit, is a great way to both set up and surprise the audience while elevating the threat of the villain for the final confrontation.

Also, I have so much respect for how the writers show Batman is smart, rather than tell. He's immediately and constantly throwing smoke bombs and paint into the air to mark Ventrix, while in some shows, and I'm looking at you, Smallville, it takes the hero an hour to arrive at the same solution. Batman doesn't let a little thing like the impossibility of the situation stop him from kicking some ass, all leading to a fight under a leaking water tower and the most badass delivery of "Peek a boo" ever in Western civilization.

And finally, the episode introduces Lucius Fox, who was created in the comics to answer the question, "If Bruce Wayne pretends to be an idiot, how does Wayne Enterprises stay in business?" While Wayne owns the company, Lucius is the de facto head. Also, Lucius is the only one who know Bruce is not the idiot he pretends to be, though he probably does not suspect what Bruce actually does at night. In the Animated Series, Bruce is shown to be more active at the company, so Lucius is just second in command. That does leave the question of when does Bruce Wayne sleep, but maybe that's thinking too hard.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Fifteen and Sixteen: The Cat and the Claw

2010-10-15T11:00:00.000-04:00

Plot: Trying to protect a stretch of wildlife, Catwoman discovers a terrorist cell led by Red Claw, and reluctantly teams up with Batman to stop them.

As a character, Catwoman's as old as the Joker (both dating to Batman #1) and has had as many different interpretations over the years. While she's always a thief, morally she's ranged from purely selfish motives to a more Robin Hood approach to being basically a female Batman. Sometimes she works completely solo, other times she's the head of a gang of crooks. Sometimes she fights Batman in a dress and cape, sometimes in leather bondage gear, sometimes in a catsuit that actually looks reasonable for climbing around the sides of buildings. Sometimes she's perfectly sane, and sometimes she's batshit crazy. Sometimes she's purely adversarial to Batman, sometimes she's his partner, and usually these some romantic tension between them.

The Animated Series Catwoman basically split the difference on most of these issues. This Catwoman steals from the rich to give to the kitties, placing her on just the wrong side of moral alignment. Selina has a secretary, Maven, who apparently lives with her , as well as a lawyer, but her only accomplice on her crimes is her cat Isis. Catwoman can also, apparently, talk to cats, including a mountain lion . She wears a form fitting bodysuit, but it's not the stitched together leather outfit from Batman Returns, though she has taken Michelle Pfeiffer's blonde hair (in all other versions, Selina Kyle has black hair). And unlike the Joker and the Penguin, this episode is explicitly the first time Batman and Catwoman have met.

I just wish these episodes were better. The Catwoman parts are great, really. Musically and visually, they recall Hitchcock films (especially the car chase in Part II) with snappy patter masking mounting tension. Batman and Catwoman are immediately flirting, even as they are leaping off rooftops, both shocked and pleased that they can keep up with each other. The first act chase is delightful, and ends with a great moment copped from Batman: Year One, Batman risking his life to save a cat.

The double duel identies set up a beautifully complicated love... triangle? Quadrangle? Basically, Bruce Wayne is immediately infatuated with Selina Kyle (we even get to see Bruce blush), but Catwoman only has time for Batman, and neither side knows the true identity of the other. You have to let your disbelief suspend a bit for the usual secret identity questions (don't they recognize each other's voice? or chin?) but it's a fun dynamic, especially since we never see Bruce have to pursue anyone else in the series.

And when Batman rejects Catwoman explaining that "the thing between us" is "the law" (a line so painful even Catwoman winces), we get a nice reminder that she is a bad guy because she throws him off a building even though he JUST SAVED HER LIFE.

The problem with the episodes is entirely in the "claw" part of The Cat and the Claw. Another Batman: the Animated Series original (though she bares a passing resemblance to the villain Chesire), Red Claw just isn't that interesting. She's called a "terrorist," (and kudos to the show for using that term in a cartoon), but we don't know her cause at all. Her only demands are money. She's very taken with herself being a terrorist who is also a woman (which Batman dismisses with the line "I'm an equal opportunity crimefighter"), but aside from being a woman, there's nothing else to her character. At all. Just Cobra Commander with an exposed shoulder.

She's there to contrast with Catwoman (Batman's match who is a woman), but she's such a strawman that nothing is really said. Maybe they should have used the female villain they've already established, Poison Ivy. Like Ivy, Catwoman is motivated by environmental concerns. Like Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne throws himself into his relationship with Selina without much thought. However, Catwoman is entirely sincere in her beliefs, while Ivy destroys the plants she's trying to save to kill Batman. And Selina is mostly sane. When a company tries to buy the land she's trying to protect, Selina threatens to sue, to bring down every environmental group on them, and finds evidence that they're lying to the public. Poison Ivy, on the other hand, waits five years and then poisons the man who had the idea for the building, over a rosebush she's already saved. Catwoman would have been much better defined with a stronger character for contrast.

Also, this story didn't need to be two episodes long. More happens in 20 minutes of Heart of Ice than happens in 40 minutes here. (Unfair comparison? More happens in The Underdwellers than happens here). Really, I wish the first Catwoman episode was entirely about Batman and Catwoman. Surely that story could have been written.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Fourteen: Heart of Ice

2010-10-14T11:00:00.001-04:00

I have to admit, I was dreading reviewing this episode. It was my favorite, it's the one that won an Emmy, as is voted best episode in fan polls. But it's entirely possible the Suck Fairy had visited in the last eighteen years. I'm happy to report that it just isn't so. Heart of Ice is great.

Plot: Batman investigates a series of "freezing" attacks on GothCorp, and discovers Mr. Freeze, who blames CEO Ferris Boyle for the death of his wife.

While the visual design of Mr. Freeze is basically unchanged from the comics and 1966 TV show (a robot suit with a glass dome over the head and a freeze gun), Batman: the Animated Series totally reinvented the character of Mr. Freeze for his episode. Or, rather, invented, because he didn't really have a character before. He was just a criminal who committed ice crimes the same way the Penguin commits bird crimes. His emotionless behavior and tragic origin story were invented by director Bruce Timm and writer Paul Dini (respectively) for this episode. (This is in fact the first episode Timm directed and Dini wrote). Dini in particular was inspired by Boris Karloff and Vincent Price movies to make Mr. Freeze's motivation the death of his wife Nora, and turn the episode into a ghoulish vengeance from the grave story.

And so for the fourth time we get the revenge plot, where supervillain tries to get revenge on non-supervillain, and Batman gets in the way (we'll see it a lot). The difference this time is that, unlike the Scarecrow, who was totally in the wrong, and Two-Face, who was totally in the right, Mr. Freeze is kind of right and kind of wrong.

When he was Dr. Victor Fries, he was trying to do a good thing, save his wife and possibly countless lives, and Boyle's a dick, valuing Nora's life at less than three million dollars and directly causing the accident that kills Nora and traps Fries in his frozen condition. On the other hand, Fries was stealing from the company to pay for the experiment and as Mr. Freeze he would kill everyone in the building to get revenge on Boyle. So Batman is understandably torn.

And it's crucial too that, in this episode of Batman, BATMAN is the protagonist, something he hasn't been since The Forgotten, when he mostly had amnesia, or The Underdwellers before that. This episode is about how Batman reacts to someone else's vigilante crusade, one whose motives overlap with his own. In that respect, the key choice is when Batman lets Freeze escape so he can go back and save the semi-frozen hood that Mr. Freeze left to die. Batman cannot NOT care about people. Which makes it a much bigger moment at the end when he DOES leave Boyle half-way frozen, (with a cold delivery of "Good night, humanitarian"). It's clear that Batman feels Boyle deserves much worse than the common criminal, and is willing to let Freeze have some of his revenge.

And that's the contrast of the three main characters. Boyle, voiced by Mark "the Joker" Hamill by the way, makes a big show of compassion, literally adding "the People Company" to his company logo, but it doesn't take much to make his mask slip and reveal the heartless bastard at his core. Mr. Freeze is the opposite. He claims to be emotionless, that all feeling has been frozen dead inside him, specifically he claims he has no more tears to shed, and yet, there they are, at the end of the episode, as he thinks about how he failed his wife. Batman, if anything, is closer to Mr. Freeze, on the surface emotionless, but fueled by both anger and compassion to seek justice.

Narratively, Dini and Timm pull out some interesting tricks. The opening title card is incorporated into the show itself for the first time, as the camera pans from the text to Mr. Freeze's snowglobe. The "flashback" for the origin story is actually a tape Dr. Fries was recording when Boyle broke into his lab (though as Timm points out in the commentary, Dr. Fries must have set up 14 or so cameras to get all the coverage, and someone else must have come in and edited the tapes together). In the first act, Batman creates a computer model of the giant ice cannon Mr. Freeze uses in the third, a superheroic example of Chekov's axiom.

They also do a good job of making both Batman and Mr. Freeze competent competitors. Batman deduces Freeze's next target before Freeze strikes, Freeze successfully fights him off and escapes by leaving a man behind. Batman discovers Freeze's true identity, Freeze surprises and captures Batman (because he apparently built his secret frozen base in the basement of GothCorp, which is either brilliant or stupid but it sure is ballsy as hell). Even to the end, when Batman has dismantled the freeze cannon and knocked out Freeze's crew (one using his signature over the shoulder backhanded punch), he can still only flail uselessly against Freeze's unstoppable robot suit (thank God for Alfred and obvious targets like unprotected glass domes).

One thing I noticed this time is that even though this Mr. Freeze is the more serious, darker, more complex character, he is still constantly making cold puns. Right from the beginning, "Revenge is a dish best served cold," "That's Mr. Freeze to you," "warm regards," "the cold eyes of vengeance," "the icy touch of death," he's pretty unrelenting. Mostly, he gets away with it because Michael Ansara voices Freeze with an emotionless deadpan (aided by production work to give his words a metallic echo) which lends these incredibly cheesy lines with menace and weight. If anyone deserves credit for turning one of Batman's silliest villains into one of the most emotionally resonant, and making Heart of Ice one of the best episodes of Batman: the Animated Series, it's Ansara.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Thirteen: I've Got Batman in My Basement

2010-10-13T11:00:00.001-04:00

Plot: Sherman Grant, junior detective, must protect a comatose Batman from the Penguin using Home Alone tactics.

To my mind, the Penguin is forever tied with the Riddler, Catwoman, and Two-Face as Batman's number 2 adversary. The writers of Batman: the Animated Series must have felt similarly, as the Penguin is one of only two villains who never get an origin story (the other being, of course, the Joker). It is just assumed that, like Sherman, everyone in the audience can recognize the Penguin on sight, and basically know what his deal is. The writers play on that familiarity, and, as they use Thorne whenever they need "generic mob boss," the Penguin is brought into play whenever the script calls for "an established Batman villain."

That is to say, episodes with the Penguin are almost never about the Penguin. They are about someone else, like for example a boy caught between him and Batman. There's only so much time to establish a new character, and if you're focusing on a new ally, then the villain has to be someone already established to be a threat. But any of Batman's other established villains would warp the story around them. On the other hand, the Penguin, for all his affectations, is very direct, he's a sane man, who wants money, and is willing to kill for it. Established, recognizable threat, but not one that requires too much attention.

That is NOT to say the Penguin is boring or uninteresting. On the contrary, he's one of the more well-rounded villains Batman has (sorry). Just as Poison Ivy uses both evil botany and seduction, the Penguin has two unrelated gimmicks: his affinity for birds (he uses a vulture to steal an egg) and his trick umbrella (from which he draws infinite weapons). Design-wise, this Penguin draws a lot from Batman Returns, a general egg shape and flipper-hands.

His personality, however, is very different. In the Animated series, the Penguin affects the air of an upper crust aristocrat, looks down on the Grant's home for being "bourgeois", always dresses in his finest clothes, tux, monocle, top hat, cigarette holder, as if he is eternally off to the opera, and quotes poetry at his thugs. But it's an act. He gets the quotes wrong. He's prone to malapropism (unless he meant to call Batman a "castrated rooster" when he calls him a "capon crusader"). And it's probably been awhile since he was anywhere near a theater. It's like he's desperately trying to claw his way into Bruce Wayne's social circle, but we've seen what they look like, how they dress and act, and we know the Penguin is getting it wrong.

One element that's in the story bible that I believe never made it into the show is that he still lives with his mother, and tries desperately to keep her from finding out he's actually a criminal. When he goes to jail, for example, he explains he's off on a trip to South America for the Audubon Society and will be out of contact for a few months. And that's the heart of the character, the infinite distance between the schlub he is and the man he pretends to be.

What were we talking about again? Oh yeah, this episode, which isn't really about the Penguin at all. This episode is about Sherman Grant, who is basically Encyclopedia Brown. He has his Sally, in tomboy and bodyguard Roberta, and even his own Bug Meaney, two of them, actually, named Frank and Nick. What he doesn't have is a police detective father (or any father) to bring home cases or any neighborhood clients. But he's curious, and he knows enough to recognize a South American vulture and know it means something mysterious is happening, which is a good start.

Once again, we come back to Batman being an inspiration to children, giving them the confidence to take on bullies, and then supervillains. Sherman needs Roberta to save him from Nick and Frank at the beginning, but is able to yell at them when he needs to protect the Batmobile. And he leads the charge against the Penguin, even if it only just barely slows the Penguin down.

I wish he was a little smarter, actually. He only figures out how to turn on the Batmobile by button mashing (great security there, Bruce) and it's Roberta who figures out how to work the petals and steer at the same time. His reasoning for not calling the cops (they'd unmask Batman) is plausible, but ultimately foolish, and he doesn't decipher what Batman wants from his car until after Frank stumbles upon the pills clearly labelled "Antitoxin." Maybe I'm asking too much of 11 year olds, or as a world weary Roberta says, "Men."

One interesting line is that Sherman not only recognizes the Penguin on sight and has a Joker poster in his crime basement, he also knows about the Batcave. It's hard to see, from the episodes we've seen so far, how anyone other than Bruce, Alfred, and Dick would know anything about Batman having a secret crime fighting base, let alone one in a cave. The only other person we've seen in the cave is Man-Bat, so maybe Kirk Langstrom talked after he returned to humanity. Or maybe Batman just cannot shut up about his sweet crib. Who knows? I certainly don't.

This is also the fourth time someone has tried to gas Batman (Fear, Laughing, Tear, and I guess Poison). One would think he'd learn to just keep the gasmask on.

So, an enjoyable romp about kids learning to fight crime. All in all, good fun.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Twelve: "It's Never Too Late"

2010-10-12T11:00:00.001-04:00

Plot: Crime boss Arnold Stromwell believes his son is yet another victim of his on-going mob war with Rupert Thorne. But Batman shows him that his son is rehab for his addiction to the drugs Stromwell himself sold, and then offers him a chance at redemption.

First off, Thorne? Again? Didn't we just see him carted off to jail? *Checks* Yes, yes we did. Clearly, this episode should have come earlier in the season, as Thorne is the head of all gangs in Two-Face, but here he's an upstart taking on the more established boss. Or it might have made sense to make Stromwell the upstart, taking advantage of Thorne's weakness after Two-Face crippled his operation.

On the other hand, back to back, the strengths of this episode are a lot clearer in juxtaposition to the previous one. As in Two-Face, the protagonist is not Batman, but rather Thorne's criminal rival. However, instead of spending his time on the side of the stage flailing uselessly about, here Batman is a master manipulator, putting Stromwell's son, ex-wife, and brother into place, saving Stromwell's life, then guiding him along like a pointy-eared version of the Ghost of Christmas Present and protecting him from Thorne's goons long enough to have his moment of conversion. And unlike with Two-Face, we have every reason to believe that Stromwell really has repented, and that Batman's plan worked.

This episode really plays up Batman's role as a demon on the side of good. He's hiding amongst the gargoyles when we first see him in costume, he's actually called a "dark angel" by the hippiest bum I've ever seen, and the first thing Stromwell sees when he opens his eyes is Batman standing in front of a sheet of flame like the devil himself. In the final sequence, where Batman takes out Thorne's men one by one, Batman is playing the movie monster, the unseen thing in the shadow that you don't notice until it's too late. Twice, in fact, we see Batman taking out a hood from the hood' point of view, making the explicit point at the viewer is not Batman, could not hope to be Batman, and if you are thinking about a life of crime, Batman, the dark avenger, will hit you in the face.

Really, the audience for this episode is supposed to identify with Stromwell, which is admittedly a little difficult. Unlike Two-Face, he's not seeking justice. He has no problem with Thorne taking advantage of people. He just doesn't want the competition. He's clearly rationalized his career as a drug dealer by saying he doesn't make anyone take drugs. And even after seeing the effect of his drugs on his son, he doesn't feel the need to repent or make up for his mistakes. There doesn't seem to be anything to save.

However, he must feel some guilt. Why else would he locate his headquarters a short walk away from where his brother Michael saved him from being hit by a train only to be hit himself? The sight of any train makes Stromwell break out in a sweat remembering that day, and yet he placed himself where he had a constant reminder of his greatest mistake. It becomes clear that it's not that Stromwell doesn't want to reform, it's that he thinks he can't, that he's done too much wrong in his life already.

Arnold Stromwell was created for the series, and like Thorne he's a mafioso type with an Anglo-name. However, in this episode, the writers' desire not to create a stereotype butts up against gangster movie conventions. Stromwell's brother is priest, suggesting Stromwell is Catholic. And "Pete's", where Thorne tries to have Stromwell killed, is an Italian restaurant (with "the best cannoli" according to food connoisseur Det. Bullock). And of course, the Mafia are Italian. Everything would just make more sense if Stromwell was Falcone. But whatever.

This episode also marks Batman: the Animated Series complete move into the never-was past. Not only are TVs now black and white, but flashbacks travel even further back. Young Arnold and Michael are dressed like turn of the century newsies.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Ten and Eleven: Two-Face

2010-10-11T11:00:00.000-04:00

And so we come to the Two-Face storyline, and, appropriately enough, the first two-part episode. Normally, I don't like two-parters, because I feel most TV stories don't "earn" the extended length, or use the break between episodes well, but I think this one works quite well, especially as each episode has a separate and complete plot:

Part 1 has the Fall of Harvey Dent: When Mob Boss Rupert Thorne tries to blackmail Dent with evidence that Harvey suffers from multiple personality disorder, he unleashes Harvey's bad side and scars half of his face for life, not necessarily in that order.

Part 2 has the Rise of Two-Face: After six months of systematically dismantling Thorn's organization, Two-Face is ready to end Thorne for good. But Thorne is ready to strike back, using Harvey's former fiancee Grace Lamont as a pawn.

So, Two-Face is one of Batman's oldest foes, dating back to 1942. His origin in the comics is basically the same as what's presented here, district attorney, face scarred for life by the criminal he was pursuing, causing a mental breakdown and the release of a second personality obsessed by chance vs. justice, duality, and the number 2.

The major change here, picking up from the Two-Face origin story that had just been published in Batman Annual #14 (1990), is that Harvey already had multiple personality disorder before he was scarred. This is a big improvement over previous versions (or even Christopher Nolan's take on the character in The Dark Knight), where one tragedy seems to make a perfectly good and sane man crazyevil over night.

In this version, Harvey had created a second personality because he represses his anger after mistakenly believing he put another boy in the hospital. That's kind of silly and frankly a rare example of toning down the Batman mythos for the child audience. In the comics, Harvey's insanity is born out of physical abuse at the hands of his alcoholic father, a much darker but more satisfying explanation (also more realistic, as child abuse can cause split personality, but one really shouldn't be looking to Batman for realism).

Two-Face serves as a walking reminder of the time Batman failed, the man he did not save, and boy is that true here. Over two episodes, Batman is singularly ineffective. Not only does he let Harvey become horribly scarred (as he inevitably must), Bruce also failed to notice for five years that his close friend of suffered major mental problems. And then Batman is unable to stop Two-Face's six month rampage through Gotham City. By contrast, when the Joker escaped from Arkham Asylum on Christmas morning, Batman had him back in his cell in time for Boxing Day. Batman even dreams about his failure (and the Wayne's make their THIRD appearance in eleven episodes. Yeesh, that's enough, Dead People).

No, Batman is pushed to the side for two episodes for our real protagonist, Harvey Dent himself. It's Harvey that chooses to keep campaigning rather than commit himself to a mental hospital, Harvey that goes to see Thorne even though he knows nothing good can come of it, Harvey that leaves behind Grace to lead a life of crime (yes, we get it, writers, very subtle). Two-Face that takes apart Thorne's operation, Two-Face that finds the evidence to convict Thorne, and Two-Face that tries to re-unite with Grace only to be betrayed. Batman isn't even the antagonist, since when he does show up, he's usually fighting on Two-Face's side against Thorne's men.

It's a question why Batman is even trying to stop Two-Face. Yes, like Scarecrow or Poison Ivy, Two-Face is motivated by revenge, but unlike them, he's totally justified. Thorne is a gangster who blackmailed him, destroyed his career and his face, and threatens the life and security of everyone in Gotham. And Two-Face goes after Thorne it in a very Batman-esque manner, attacking Thorne's operations, crippling his finances, and ignoring his lawyer's rights to privacy by rifling through his files. Even his plan to finally get rid of Thorne is admirably restrained.

Why wouldn't Batman do all that? In fact, why hadn't Batman ALREADY done all that, instead of wasting six months researching multiple personality disorders. Except for possibly at the end, when Two-Face is about to shoot Thorne, Two-Face is a better Batman than Batman is.

Again, Richard Moll deserves a shout out for his superb voice work. When Harvey becomes Two-Face, his voice is actually a synthesis of Harvey's normal voice and the voice of his other half "Big Bad Harvey." BB Harvey's voice is deep with an animal growl. Two-Face's voice has the same growl, but is high enough to feature sadness and longing (which BB Harvey is incapable of) without actually returning to Harvey's voice.

The animators also do an excellent job. The design for Two-Face is probably their most impressive translation of a character from comics to television. In the comics, Two-Face's suit is a combination of a plain right half and a garishly ugly left half. Here, it's simplified to just black and white. While that may have just been to save time and money on animation, the effect is much more striking. And furthers the conclusion that Batman just has the best dressed rogues gallery ever.

They also play the reveal of Two-Face's face perfectly, teasing it out, making us think we'll see it once, when the doctor takes off the bandages and recoils in horror, twice, when Two-Face, in his growly voice, demands to see a mirror (in an homage to Burton's first Batman movie), and then finally they show us his face, lit by lightning, when Grace comes to visit. But, in fact, we had ALREADY seen his face, very briefly, again lit by lightning, when Harvey is hypnotized by his therapist. Two-Face was always there, he was just waiting to get out.

Other notes: Last time we saw Harvey Dent, five episodes ago, he was ready to propose marriage to a woman he had only known for a week (it didn't work out). Now he's engaged to a different woman (though he hasn't set a date). Either Harvey is just the marrying kind, or the episodes are doing funky things with time jumps (like jumping from Christmas to April Fool's Day over the course of two episodes). There are time jumps within the episode too, jumping from mid-way through the campaign to election night, and then six months later. If Batman: The Animated Series is supposed to be in strict chronological order, we've already witnessed a year and a half in the life of Batman (so it's probably best that we don't).

Also introduced in this episode is Rupert Thorne, who shows up in the Animated Series whenever the story calls for a generic mob boss. Here, he replaces Sal Maroni as the man who scarred Harvey Dent. In the comics, however, Thorne was a corrupt politician, not an out-and-out gangster. I think it's interesting that instead of an Italian as crime boss (the canonical choice would be Carmine Falcone), the writers of the Animated Series chose a character with a very Anglo name. This was probably to avoid stereotyping, even if he still resembles Marlon Brando as Don Corleone.

Grace is the more problematic character: everything about her is a throwback to 1942. Her only goal is to marry Harvey Dent (though she's totally willing to wait for him to set the wedding date). Her only actions are to support his campaign and recovery (though not enough not to faint upon seeing his ugly face), then betray him (to be fair, she thought she was betraying him to the police, not to Boss Thorne), then be the love that will save Harvey (unsurprisingly, she's never seen again). It's a good thing they've already introduced Montoya, because between Grace and Poison Ivy, you have to start wondering about the Batman writers' relationships with women.

Before the second episode, a narrator says "Previously, on Batman..." This shouldn't be noteworthy, except that it's the first time we learn the official name of the series ("Batman"), as no title is seen in the opening credits. I'll continue to refer to the series by the accepted nomenclature of Batman: the Animated Series, which distinguishes it from the 1966 live-action series and all of the movies, even though there's been several Batman animated series before and after this one. (I can't even say Batman, the GOOD Animated Series, since the current one, Brave and the Bold, is pretty fun).

And finally, when Two-Face lingers over a photo of Grace, we get a close-up of his wallet, and can see he has a credit card issued to Two-Face. Man, they'll give credit to anyone these days.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Nine: Be a Clown

2010-10-08T11:00:00.003-04:00

Hey, remember when I said The Underdwellers would be better if they used an established Batman villain? Turns out I was right.

Plot: Feeling neglected by his father, Mayor Hamilton Hill, Jordan Hill runs away from his own birthday party in the back of the hired clown's van. Unfortunately for Jordan, the clown is actually the Joker in disguise. Hijinks ensue.

In Christmas with the Joker, the Joker represented the ever-present threat and the attention seeker. Here, we are dealing the Joker as a tempter and a corrupter. Just as Batman is an inspiration to Frog in The Underdwellers (and, presumably, Robin), it turns out the Joker can be an inspiration too. He represents the freedom to runaway from it all and join the circus. Though, in the Joker's case, "it all" includes the law, morality, and sanity itself.

Notably, this inspiration is a by-product of his actions. The Joker doesn't set out to kidnap the Mayor's child and turn him against his father, that happens accidentally. In comparison, his actual plan of sneaking into the Mayor's house and blowing up his guests is remarkably straight forward.

But once the Joker learns what happened, and begins to realize the potential in creating a protege, the creepiness of the episode begins to ratchet up. We actually see the Joker make up his plans as the episode progresses, first simply teaching Jordan magic tricks to keep him entertained, then deciding to use him as bait to lure Batman into a trap, and finally forcing Jordan to watch Batman drown while the Joker stands behind him, squeezing his shoulder. The mythical parents who watch cartoons with their kids must have been freaking out at that point.

The Joker, accidentally and then intentionally, makes a mini-version of himself, a demonstration that anyone could be as bad as himself in the right circumstances, which is a recurring theme for the Joker from The Killing Joke to The Dark Knight. The Animated Series explores this theme further with the character of Harley Quinn, particularly her origin episode Mad Love, and then takes the disturbing implications of the Joker's attempt to make his own Robin to its extreme in the Batman Beyond movie, The Return of the Joker. But back to Jordan.

Jordan follows the Joker because, unlike Mayor Hill, who knocks aside Jordan's magic props to drag him to the party, the Joker doesn't seem to care about impressing people, he just wants to do his magic tricks. Ironically, the Joker is in fact obsessed with impressing people (as established in Christmas with the Joker) and craves Mayor Hill's attention even more than Jordan does, but Jordan doesn't realize that until the Joker tells him "there is no trick." The Joker is just a killer.

Even after Jordan rejects the Joker and runs away, the creepiness only increases. He already rejected one father for a new one. Rejecting the second father-figure leaves him alone in a terrifying world where nothing makes sense, everything is too big, and a monster is hunting him down. Even twenty years later, the sound of the Joker following Jordan while clack clack clacking his cane along the picket fence sends chills down my spine.

Which leads to the big moment of the episode, when Batman asks Jordan to trust him. At this point, Jordan has been betrayed by two father figures, and the second chased him onto a runaway rollercoaster while throwing exploding cupie dolls at Batman (in a scene taken from The Dark Knight Returns #3). Now a scary man in a black mask, who his father and the Joker insist is a bad man, is asking Jordan to rely on him, or he will die. It's impressive Jordan is able to even get out of his seat. But not only does his bravery save his own life, it earns him the highest honor, the Bat-thumbs up.

Other things to note: I'm pretty sure the Joker would have succeeded in blowing up the party if he hadn't put his face on the dynamite and thus given himself away. But then, he wouldn't be the Joker.

I'm also pretty sure that the full bearded Prociutto is actually Alan Moore, who wrote the Killing Joke.

For the third time in as many episodes, the Joker has Batman at his mercy and decides not to just shoot him in the face. I'm starting to get the feeling that he's not serious about this killing Batman thing.

And this is the first episode where Batman fails to capture the villain in the end. The Joker simply falls into the water. We don't see him escape, but we can't assume he drowned either. At least Batman actually kicked him this time, and the Joker didn't just trip, again.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Eight: The Forgotten

2010-10-07T11:00:00.002-04:00

Plot: Investigating the disappearance of homeless men, a disguised Bruce Wayne is knocked out. He wakes up in a prison camp with no idea where, or who, he is.

Stylistically, The Forgotten is a sharp change of pace for the Animated Series. From the harmonica opening, the sun-drenched, sweaty setting for most of the action, and the lack of a supervillain, the episode plays like an episode of something that'd be called "Cool Hand Bruce."

Set-up-wise, it's very similar to The Underdwellers, with a villain who exploits the weakest in society, trading orphan children for homeless men. But the Sewer King is a supervillain, with a costume and alligator henchmen. Boss Biggis (named only in the credits) is a disgusting, hypocritical human being who spits chicken flecks while complaining that his prisoners/slaves are too lazy, but otherwise employs traditional weapons like barbed-wire and guns.

And while Frog and the other orphans' origins are left unsaid, this episode concerns itself with how a whole segment of society could fall so low that they can disappear without most people knowing or caring. That's why we spend time learning about Salvo's backstory, and even Reilly, who was volunteering at the shelter and kidnapped by mistake, sounds like he could be one paycheck away from being on the street himself. The effect is to show Batman fighting a real problem, both as Bruce Wayne helping at the shelter, and as his crime fighter persona.

Hence, I have a real problem with this plot hinging on the hoary cliche of concussion-induced amnesia, even if it does lead to some trippy visuals as Bruce Wayne puts his personality back together from fragments (and for a show that was never supposed to be about Bruce's origins, the Waynes have appeared in one out of four episodes so far, which is as many as the Joker).

Amnesia is such lazy writing, that handicaps the hero in a way that wouldn't actually work if you thought about it (wouldn't he lose motor skills along with his memories?). Maybe it's supposed to give Bruce time to bond with Salvo and Reilly before escaping, but Bruce could have just as easily just been trying to stay in-character while he waited for Alfred to show up, or actually handicapped with a broken-leg, or something besides stupid, stupid amnesia.

(At least when the new Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon did the same plot, Bruce loses his memory while in disguise, it led to a song and dance number.)

There are some good elements around the stupid, stupid amnesia. The painters do a fine job with the warmer color palate the sunny desert setting provides, and Shirley Walker shifts the score to the prison movie mood while still remaining in the Animated Series ouvre. And it's fun seeing both Batman and Alfred act as detective.

Alfred definitely shines in the episode, rolling around a scrap yard in his butler tux, and flying the Batwing to the rescue (and Bruce's surprise). I think it's hilarious that Alfred thinks to change out of his tuxedo when flying a plane, but still wears a bow-tie, and that he apparently set the computer to "snarky", which actually says "Your funeral" in response to the order to land.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Seven: P.O.V.

2010-10-06T11:00:00.001-04:00

Plot: when a police sting goes wrong and Batman's involved, three cops tell three stories about what went wrong. But can they get their stories straight in time to stop the criminals, and save Batman?

Seven episodes in and already they're playing with story structure in this Rashamon-inspired episode.

When we hear each officer, Detective Bullock, Officer Montoya, and the rookie Wilkes, tell their version, we see what really happened, which allows us to understand where their stories and reality diverge; that Bullock self-aggrandizes his version, shifting blame for his mistakes onto Batman and switching who saved who at the end, and the rookie attributes magical powers to Batman that can be explained away with darkly colored weapons.

Montoya's account and reality-line up exactly, and I think that's a mistake. The show could have gone further and show that everybody remembers events differently, and subjectively, but Montoya's account is flawless, AND she's the only one to put together the clues correctly.

Maybe showing her off in her best light is a good idea for her real introductory episode. Renee Montoya was created for the show (though, due to a quirk of timing, she actually debuted in the comics a few months before the show premiered). Generally, she plays foil to Harvey Bullock, as a cop who supports Batman, but is more conflicted about what Batman does than say Commissioner Gordon. According to the story bible, she has a fairly rich backstory, including being the widow of another officer, that I believe is never actually explored in the series.

In the comics, Montoya has gone on to a fairly impressive career, becoming Bullock's partner, making Detective rank, starring in the fantastic series Gotham Central, developing an emotionally complicated relationship with Harvey Dent/Two-Face, quitting the force, and becoming the superhero The Question. Bigger than that, however, was the revelation, in Gotham Central, that Montoya is a lesbian, which caused some fan-consternation at the time. She remains one of the most high profile gay characters in comics. She hasn't appeared outside of the comics or the cartoon series, making her only the second most popular character created by the show.

Interesting to note, she is not called by her first name in the entire show. She is always referred to as "Montoya." Her gender or ethnicity are never brought up or play into the plot at all. Which makes Bullock's grumbling "thank you" at the end a lot less problematic. He could have come across as sexist or racist, but instead he's just having a hard time accepting help from anyone, especially a lower ranking officer.

And why does Montoya go out of her way to get Bullock his badge back? We know and SHE knows Bullock lied to the internal affairs officer and pinned the blame on the failed bust on her and Wilkes (and Batman). And we know Bullock blew the sting by going in early. The best I can tell is that it's an attempt to have Bullock "owe her one."

Some interesting voice-work in this episode. Robert Costanzo does his usual great job as Bullock and Ingrid Oliu is pretty good in her major debut as Montoya. Robbie Benson (the Beast) plays the bedazzled rookie Wilkes, but I don't think he shows up again. The strange stand-out is Ron Perlman, who plays the head hood (credited as "Driller"). He only has a few lines, but the character design and line delivery give a minor character a real sense of menace.

"Driller" is the closest this episode comes to having a supervillain. Otherwise, there are no fantastic elements at play, no transforming man-beasts, no carnivorous vagina plants, not even alligator henchmen that attack on command. Just a safe, a drill, and an escape boat. Even Batman is on his best behavior, keeping the more science fictional tech at home.

There are some fantastic visual gags in the final fight scene where the major action happens just off camera (appropriately enough for an episode titled "P.O.V."), like the hood who charges forward, only to stumble back onto screen now wearing a table for a hat, or Driller trying to climb onto the dock while bodies fall behind and then on top of him. The hood who can only be seen in the dark by the explosion of his machine gun, or the unnamed boss hiding in the shadows except for his monocle.

I'm a little unclear about what the actual crime was. According to the Lieutenant, the sting was a on a drug lord, but Bullock interrupts a safe robbery. Was the safe bait for the criminals they were looking for? Or did a separate gang rob the targeted drug lord? It would be useful to know because it might answer the central question of the episode, why didn't Bullock wait for Montoya and Wilkes? We see him enter the warehouse, but we never see why. Maybe that's just one of those things we can never know.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Six: The Underdwellers

2010-10-05T11:00:00.001-04:00

Plot: following reports of a purse-snatching leprechaun, Batman discovers the Sewer King and his gang of orphan thieves.

The Sewer King is Batman the Animated Series first attempt at an original villain, or as original as a Fagen-homage can get. There are elements here that make him interesting, mostly his use and abuse of children, which obviously touches a nerve with Batman. And his choice of henchmen allow us to see Batman wrestle and hogtie an alligator, so there is that. However, beyond that, he's not that interesting, and he could and maybe should have been replaced with one of Batman's other sewer dwelling foes, Killer Croc, the Penguin, or even the Ratcatcher.

Really, this episode is about Batman's relationship with children, specifically orphans. As with Nothing to Fear, The Underdwellers assumes you already know that Batman is himself an orphan, and identifies with the Sewer King's victims (there's a sideways allusion when Batman yells "children and guns do not mix. Ever!" It's such an obvious point that it hides the fact that Batman is referring to a specific event).

It's telling that he threatens to let the Sewer King die, which he did not do with the Joker, Scarecrow, or Poison Ivy, even though they had attempted murder. Clearly, Batman sees child abuse as something worse than murder. His tossed off, "a gruesome end for a gruesome man," when he thinks the Sewer King has been eaten by his own alligators recalls Detective Comics #27, his first appearance, where he responds to knocking a criminal into a vat of corrosive chemicals as "a fitting end for his kind."

We also see children's reaction to Batman: they think he's cool, obviously. Frog may run from Batman at first, but he learns to trust him, first when Batman saves his life, again when he sees a trash bin transform into the Batmobile, and again when Batman says he needs Frog's help. (Props to the animation and music departments. Since the Underdwellers don't talk, their acting is done through facial expression and music cues, and done quite well.)

But Batman does more than protect and comfort children, he also inspires them. The key scene, really, is when the Sewer King threatens to feed one of his own children to the alligators is Batman does not back off, Frog swings down on a rope in a Batmanly manor and saves the kid himself, earning the world's greatest honor, the Bat-thumbs up!

There's also the charming middle section where Alfred must bathe, feed, and put Frog to bed ("not necessarily in that order"). Again, Frog's expression as he gleefully steals all the silverware and rides a serving dish down the stairs play fantastically against Alfred's pained expression and exasperated delivery. The only note that rings false is Alfred's line about not knowing what to do with children. This is odd because it's already been established that Alfred raised Bruce when Bruce's parents died, and helped raise Dick Grayson when Bruce adopted him.

If anything, that's what's missing from the episode. We see Batman the son, identifying with Frog and sympathizing with the other orphans. But where's Batman the father? Robin isn't mentioned at all, but Robin is evidence that Batman has a habit of taking in orphans and turning them into superheroes (by this time in the comics, he would have done it three times already, and will do it again later in the Animated Series). From the way Frog swings on a rope, it wouldn't have surprised me if they made him the next Robin, or if his real name were Jason Todd.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Five: Pretty Poison

2010-10-04T11:00:00.003-04:00

From an episode where I didn't have much to say to one where I may have too much. So let's get right to it.

In Pretty Poison, Bruce Wayne's pal, Harvey Dent, has met a new lady love, Pamela Isley. But when the D.A. is felled by poison, Bruce discovers this blushing flower hides deadly thorns as the villain Poison Ivy.

Like The Last Laugh, Pretty Poison wears its influences on its sleeves. The first two thirds of the episode are a Batmanly take on 1940s film noir: the Femme Fatale, the amateur detective, interrogations held under hanging lamps, worried doctors anxiously looking over charts, deep shadows, jazz music, the works. It could be a Howard Hawks movie, until a trapdoor opens in a greenhouse and reveals a more superhero-y world of carnivorous, giant plants and sexy Eve Halloween costumes complete with wrist-mounted crossbows.

However, the Animated Series economic storytelling hinders the what could be a typical noir mystery, "Who poisoned the District Attorney?". Even if you didn't know Batman has an established villain named Poison Ivy, the title and the fact that only one new character is introduced in the whole episode point pretty loudly to Pamela Isley's guilt right away. We know she did it, the only real question is why.

Which is how we get to the character of Poison Ivy. Like the Scarecrow, Ivy is motivated by revenge, though she is slightly better justified. After all, she seeks vengeance on behalf of the environment, and there's some irony that the only plant that could cure Harvey is the rose bush he almost eradicated by building his prison. That's as far as justification goes, however. In the end, she's still killing a man for almost destroying a rose, one she herself is willing to harm if it helps her achieve her goals.

And though she is motivated by plant life and environmental concerns, her chief weapon is seduction. Ivy wields sexuality the same way the Scarecrow uses fear and the Joker uses (or abuses) humor, as a way to incapacitate and manipulate her victims. She may use a crossbow and animate vines, but she kills with her kiss. In fact, Poison Ivy the seductress is her defining feature going back to her first appearance in 1966, where she was a Bettie Page knock-off who used her seductive powers to turn Batman against Robin. (The plant activism as a motive was added later when the environmental movement became more popular in the '70s.)

This makes Pretty Poison one of the more sensual episodes of the series, with some pretty sexy scenes, like Pamela and Harvey's uncomfortably long kiss, her hip swaying walk out of the restaurant (in a dress inspired by Jessica Rabbit), or her strip tease behind the modesty screen as Batman steals into her private greenhouse. (Ivy's undressing inverts a fantastic gag from earlier in the episode, where Batman puts on his costume in the time it takes Alfred to read Ivy's increasingly damning resumé.)

And that's the overt stuff. It's be hard to argue that the vertical maw of the Venus Batman Trap is not a representation of vagina dentata (what a wonderful phrase). And the animators slipped in another gag as the greenhouse is located at "69 Greene St."

This episode is also important in establishing Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne's relationship. The flashback reveals that they have been friends for at least five years by this point (and answers my nagging question of how long has Bruce been Batman). Harvey comments on Bruce's wealth to Pamela, and in fact it's Bruce Wayne's credit card paying for the meal, suggesting a strong class difference between the two. On the other hand, Harvey Dent has the respect and political power that Bruce lacks. If Bruce is still worried that being Batman is a disgraceful way of honoring his parents, perhaps he looks at Harvey as the man he should have been. They trust each other enough to listen to each other's advice, but not completely. Harvey's line, "there's nothing we don't know about each other," is doubly ironic. Obviously, he doesn't know Bruce is Batman, but we'll later learn that Harvey is keeping a big secret from Bruce as well.

Other notes: The title card "A Better, Safer Gotham," juxtaposing the dark night sky and the jailbreak with a bright daylight and flowered field of five years ago, implies that despite the best efforts of Harvey and Batman, things have actually gotten much worse in Gotham. The story bible says that Stonegate Prison sits where the Statue of Liberty would be if this were New York, as a sign of the kind of city Gotham is. On the other hand, we may be seeing the prison and Gotham from Ivy's point of view at this point, where the city walls have grown too large and the past, which had a field of weeds, is much, if you'll excuse the expression, rosier.

Also, Ivy's thrown into Stonegate Prison, the source of her hatred of Harvey Dent, and not Arkham Asylum, despite being obviously crazy. Presumably the judge felt the irony was too irresistible.

Though the cops spend most of the episode looking in the wrong direction, it's nice to see that Bullock can actually be a good cop, as long as he's not chasing Batman. He may go back to his desk for his donut before heading out, but he's first on the scene of the escaped prisoner and he snaps to on Gordon's orders to investigate the Rose Cafe. We also get the official first appearance and spoken dialogue of Renee Montoya, but she doesn't actually do much, so I'll get back to her in a couple episodes.

Batman once again demonstrates his lack of trust of anyone else, stealing the blood sample from the doctor treating his friend Harvey Dent. You'd think the doctor would need that.

And finally, Bruce Wayne's car of choice is the Kord. At least, I assume it's spelled with a K, as in a reference to Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle. It's only noteworthy because it's the first indication that any other superhero might exist. I am probably wrong, as a Cord, with a C, is an old style car, which is the show's preference (e.g. Bruce drives a Studebaker in The Forgotten). Still, that would have been nice.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Four: The Last Laugh

2010-10-01T11:00:00.002-04:00

The plot: When the Joker parks a barge of laughing gas in downtown Gotham to cover a crime spree, Batman must race against the clock to stop him before Alfred, and half of the city, succumb to permanent insanity.

The Last Laugh may be my least favorite episode. It's certainly my least favorite episode featuring the Joker. Every other episode he's in is about something. In this one, he's just a criminal. A criminal who uses a terrorist attack to rob a city blind with the help of a murderous robot clown, but just a criminal. It could have been any villain in this episode, under scored by the fact that the Scarecrow also used a gas attack. Yes, he's attacking on April Fool's Day (wasn't it just Christmas? And why would you leave your home on any holiday in Gotham?), but it could have been the Scarecrow attacking on Halloween.

There's not much plot to speak of, or characterization. It's a good thing they set up Alfred as a surrogate father in the last episode because they certainly don't give Batman any reason to be extra concerned about Alfred's welfare in this one (other than good help is hard to find). Arguably, this is the episode that contrasts Batman's humorlessness with the Joker's mirthful attitude, but that doesn't ring as true in the episodes we've seen so far. The first thing we see Batman do, in fact, is smile and make a joke. So that kind of falls flat.

And the Joker is once again defeated when he trips and almost falls into a vat of chemicals. Sigh. At least we get to see him in his zoot suit this time.

I can see what they're trying to do. This episode, more than any other I can think of, resembles the old Max Fleisher Superman cartoons, which didn't have much plot or dialogue either. Just long chase sequences and action set pieces. The big difference between those shorts and this episode is that the Superman cartoons are seven minutes long. This episode tries to sustain a Tom and Jerry chase for twenty or so minutes. And fails.

I also don't like the score, for once. Yes, it's great that we hear the Joker's insane circus music theme for the first time, but it's overshadowed by the repeated funk drumbeat that plays throughout the episode. Shirley Walker uses a lot of different styles throughout the series, but for some reason this score just clashes with the symphonic style that usually characterizes the show.

There are a couple of good moments. Batman managing to punch the Joker through a periscope; the Joker's goons rolling their eyes as the boss makes yet another terrible joke, the reveal of what's under Captain Clown's mask (a shot that is straight out of the Fleisher cartoons).

We also get Efrem Zimbalist Jr.'s first take on Alfred, which unfortunately does not start out promisingly. We all know Alfred is an observational humorist, prop humor is beneath him.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Three: Nothing to Fear

2010-09-30T11:00:00.003-04:00

The Plot: before he can stop the Scarecrow's terror campaign against Gotham University, Batman must overcome his own fear of failure and horrifying visions of his late father.

As a psychological study on Batman and what makes him tick, Nothing to Fear is a great episode. When dosed with the Scarecrow's fear toxin, Batman sees his worst fear, that being Batman is a disgrace, a failure in someway to live up to his father's example. It puts into question the premise of the character, that maybe it's a mistake to respond to personal tragedy with vigilante justice.

The show resolves this internal conflict with two moments of catharsis. The first is when Alfred reassures Bruce that of course Thomas Wayne would be proud of him, because "I'm so very proud of you." This, in a line, both cements being Batman as a morally responsible choice (as Alfred is the voice of sanity in the show) and establishes Alfred relationship to Bruce: Alfred is Bruce's surrogate father. Once again, the point is made that Batman, Robin, and Alfred are not just partners in crime, but a real family.

The other moment of catharsis comes when, hanging from the edge of a burning zeppelin, in the face of a giant, skeletal vision of his father, Batman recites lines that would forever be burned into the hearts of young Batman fans (and forever be parodied by Darkwing Duck), "I am vengeance. I am the night. I AM BATMAN!" Alfred may have given Bruce the perspective and support he needed, but Bruce is still plagued by his fears until he accepts his mission, "vengeance," his method, "the night," and his true identity, "Batman."

It gets at the heart of why Batman fears he's disgracing his parents. In order to be their vengeance, he has to be Batman, and he has to stop being Bruce Wayne. Wayne becomes a shell, a mask, the petty playboy so despised by Dr. Long. The vision of his father calls him both "Bruce" and "a disgrace," and in order to do his job, Batman has to reject both of those titles.

The weakness of this episode is the Scarecrow himself. There are a lot of good interpretations of the character out there, from his first appearance in 1941 to Cillian Murphy's portrayal in Batman Begins. A villain who uses fear as a weapon should make an excellent foil to Batman, who preys on "a superstitious and cowardly lot." And this episode makes a couple of nods at that, a dry remark from Alfred and Batman's use of the fear gas on Crane at the end. But mostly, the Scarecrow's pretty boring.

His motivation is mundane. When he explains to his two dim-witted thugs, incongruously named Nigel and Anthony, why he's attacking the school, we hope that there's some complicating factor. But, in fact, the Scarecrow likes to scare people, he got as a job that allowed him to scare people, Dr. Long fired him for scaring people, and now he's going to scare people until they allow him to scare more people. Dr. Long, played by professional cranky old man Kevin McCarthy (who recently passed), may be a jerk, telling Bruce Wayne "I don't like you and your dead father wouldn't like you either," but he hardly deserves to have his university destroyed for firing a sadist.

And the Scarecrow's plan is pretty boring too, a terror campaign to cripple the school and scare people away from attending. There's hints of how much more interesting the Scarecrow could be.In one scene, he uses fear to drive a crowd of people to mob Batman. The idea that he could use fear to manipulate people presents a lot more interesting plot and character potential, which the writers will play with in later episodes. But here, he mostly uses the gas to incapacitate his victims.

The Scarecrow's visual design is uninspired, like a cheap Muppet knock-off, and Henry Polic II just isn't an engaging voice actor. In the end, he's not as much of challenge for Batman as the fear gas itself is. Once Batman overcomes the gas, the Scarecrow himself goes down easy.

The fear gas allows the animators a lot more room for creative moments, from a great representation of claustrophobia as a shrinking jail cell, to the face in the flames, the Fantasia-inspired winged demon at the end. A lot of the mood is also set by Shirley Walker's score, who pull out allusions to Psycho and Night on Bald Mountain to move the audience.

Special attention should also be paid to the voicework of Richard Moll, aka Bull from Night Court. He'll get a lot more attention later, as he voices Harvey Dent, but in this episode, he's doing fantastic yeoman's work as the Scarecrow's two hoods, the Bat-Computer, and especially the haunting, chilling voice of the late Thomas Wayne. Again, it's the vision of Thomas Wayne who's the real antagonist here, and Moll captures that character perfectly.

Other things to note:

We finally learn Summer Gleeson's name and occupation in this episode, though she does little else than deliver some exposition and call Batman a loser (in a vision).

Two episode after sending the SWAT Team after him, the police have eased up on Batman. Only Bullock is still openly antagonistic, but without any support, he moves from being Batman's Javier to being his Lestrade. Not that Batman has earned their trust, really, since he totally withholds evidence from them (that maybe they could have used to track down the Scarecrow faster) and for the first time, pull off his signature move of disappearing from a conversation the moment Bullock turns his back.

When Scarecrow sets a trap for Batman by releasing his fear gas at the door, Batman enters already wearing his gas mask. Thus establishing that Batman isn't just smart, he's usually a step ahead of his opponents.

Both thugs fall from the zeppelin and Batman fails to save either of them. Fortunately, Gotham seems to be full of soft landing zones.

And finally, while the memory of his dead parents is a driving theme of the episode, it is NEVER said how they died or how their deaths were directly responsible for Bruce becoming Batman. Maybe it's because everyone in America knows what happened, and maybe it's because how they died isn't as important in this episode as the fact that they are gone, and Bruce Wayne can't get them back.

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode Two: Christmas with the Joker

2010-09-28T14:00:00.059-04:00

From one of Batman's worst villains to one of his best, fantastic.

In "Christmas with the Joker," The Joker takes over the airwaves with his own version of a Christmas special, complete with surprise guest hostages and a wild goose chase around Gotham for Batman and Robin.

When listing influences for the show, Dini and Timm mention a lot of earlier cartoons like the Max Fleischer Superman shorts, but never, say, the Simpsons. Yet, here is the Joker singing the same version of Jingle Bells that Bart Simpson did in the Simpson's Christmas episode (that is, before jumping on a rocket tree and flying out of Arkham Asylum).

And yes, it's THAT version of Jingle Bells, which comments on Batman's body odor and mechanical trouble for his car, which also demonstrates the Joker's meta-awareness, the fact he seems to know that he's a fictional character in a TV show, like when he provides his own title card for the episode, or tells us the show will be right back after a word from the sponsor, right before the commercial break. Is he crazy? Or is he hyper-sane?

Outside of Batman himself, the Joker is probably the best character in the Batman mythos, and definitely the best in the cartoon series. The Joker first appeared in Batman #1, and has had many different interpretations over the last 70 years; crime boss, serial killer, colorful bank robber, terrorist, anarchist, nihilist. Like they did with Batman, the producers of the series drew on all of these versions, but instead of synthesizing it down to one cohesive whole, they just left it all in, hodge podge, creating a character that veers wildly from clown to killer between episodes, and even within them.

All of which is brought forward by Mark Hamill incredible voice work: his manic laughter, enthusiastic deliveries, underlying malice and his mercurial mood shifts from delight to hatred to boredom to actual fear to sheer delight again. Hamill's Joker actually seems to be having a good time. (Something I think Nicholson's Joker didn't have, and Ledger's Joker sometimes had).

Each Joker episode focuses on different aspects of the character. This one focuses on Joker the showman, the attention whore. The one that cuts into every transmission in Gotham so he can broadcast the show "no one wants to see but everyone will watch." When no audience shows up in his studio, he builds his own, and when he gets bored, he blows up his audience.

This episode also establishes that, while Joker wouldn't mind killing Batman, he'd much prefer to keep him alive and focused on him. At two points, the Joker basically wins, and so he must give Batman a hand. When Batman is lost and cannot find the Joker's base, the Joker gives him a clue where to find him. When he has Batman at his mercy, instead of blowing Batman up or dumping him in acid, he throws a pie in Batman's face. So from his first episode, we see that the Joker could never really kill Batman, or he'd lose his favorite audience member. And God help anyone else if THEY managed to kill Batman (but that's an episode we'll get to later).

The Joker serves another purpose, the ever-present threat. The first third of the episode, where Robin tries to convince Batman to stay home and watch It's a Wonderful Life because no one commits crime on Christmas, resembles a Batman short story, "The Silent Night of Batman," where Batman spends the night singing with the police choir as the people of Gotham basically sort out their own problems for once.

But in the Animated Universe, Batman still can't take the night off to practice his vibrato, because there will always be the Joker. Even the final moments, with Batman admitting life might not be wonderful, but "it has it's moments", is undercut by the fact that the Joker, wrapped in a straight jacket in a bare cell, is still singing carols and laughing and having a grand old time, and could escape on a rocket powered decoration at any time!

Robin is also first seen in this episode, but like the Joker, he isn't introduced as much as assumed to have always been there. To be clear, this is Dick Grayson, the first Robin, though he's wearing Tim Drake's uniform, long pants, black cape with yellow interior.

His relationship to Batman, however, is firmly established. In the field, he's junior partner. Batman gives the orders, but trusts Robin completely to carry them out. They even have established plays they can call in the field. (Though it seems "Operation Cause and Effect" means "stop whining about the Joker robots and blow up the cannon like I told you.").

At home, however, Robin is family. When later episodes establish Dick is attending college, we realize he's home for Christmas, and that's why he's disappointed to spend it with Batman "at the office." The show brings up that the Joker doesn't have a family twice, to contrast it with Batman, who though he may not realize it, does.

This episode places the show in a very odd place, time wise. For the most part, we're supposed to be seeing Batman's early career. This is his first encounter with most of the villains (other than the Joker and the Penguin), the police don't trust him, and Harvey Dent is still good looking. But his line, "it's never easy with the Joker," implies that he's fought the Joker many many times.

Robin's age also implies Batman's been Batmanning for a while. Assuming Batman didn't adopt Dick right away, and seeing that they are practiced partners by now, we have to assume he's been at it for four or five years at this point. Which makes it somewhat odd that the police still don't trust Batman, and Batman STILL doesn't work with the police.

Other things to note: even more than with Man-Bat, the show has left realism far behind. Any questions on how the Joker built a rocket into a tree, or found giant robot nutcrackers, or turned a telescope into a cannon, can be left at the door.

Besides the Joker and Robin, this episode also introduces reporter Summer Gleason, a low-rent Lois Lane knock off, as one of the hostages, but she's not named and surrounded by Gordon and Bullock, it'd be easy to assume she was cop as well. We'll get to her a bit more in the next episode.

That Batman hasn't seen It's a Wonderful Life, the story of how much good one man can do for a city, because he couldn't get past the title, is fantastic character work.

The animators are also zeroing in on the period setting. The television sets are still in color (later they'll be exclusively in black and white), but the hoods are now using tommyguns and the cameras look like something from the fifties.

And finally, I have long argued that Batman has one of the best dressed Rogues Galleries of any superhero. It'd be easy to wear tights and battle armor, but most of Batman's villains wear suits and tuxedos. It's a shame the first episode with the Joker doesn't have his purple zoot suit, but the green turtleneck under the orange cardigan (with optional breakaway hands) IS delightfully festive.

And so, in all, a great introduction of Batman's chief antagonist, their ongoing struggle, and Robin to boot. A Christmas miracle!

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: Episode One: On Leather Wings

2010-09-27T21:10:00.001-04:00

(I'm watching, by the way, in DVD order, not airdate order.)

Okay, here we go. In this episode, a giant bat attacks a security guard, leading the police to try to arrest Batman while Batman investigates who might be trying to set him up. Turns out it's Man-Bat.

So the first question we have to ask is why Man-Bat? This was intended to be the first episode aired, why not lead with one of Batman's better known rogues, like the Joker, who's in the second episode? Or if you want to go with a villain who wasn't in one of the Burton movies, have Batman's first antagonist be the Riddler, which is how the 1966 Batman series started. (Or Catwoman, which is who the network, Fox Broadcasting, decided should be the first villain. This episode actually aired second).

Because, honestly, I can't think of an established Batman villain less interesting than Man-Bat. Wait, scratch that, I can, Killer Croc, but for basically the same reason, he's just a monster, with no real motives beyond that. To me, even the name "Man-Bat" implies Julie Schwartz got bored half-way through Frank Robbins and Neal Adams pitch meeting.

ROBBINS: So, I'm just spit-balling here, but let's say there was someone who was the opposite of Batman, a "Man-Bat" if you will —

SCHWARTZ: Perfect, Man-Bat, go with that.

ROBBINS: But, that's just —

SCHWARTZ: No, you're done. The kids will love Man-Bat. He'll sell a million copies.

Created in 1960, Man-Bat is Kirk Langstrom, a bat biologist who's experiments temporarily turned him into a giant bat, but then the Bat wanted to be free and began its own experiments to make the change permanent. He's basically a werewolf crossed with Jekyll and Hyde, and every Man-Bat story is the same. "I... can't... stop... the transformation!" And then Man-Bat appears, flies around, and gets beat-up by Batman.

He's no different in this episode. The writers make a feeble stab and throwing suspicion on Langstrom's mentor, Dr. Marsh (played by Rene Auberjonois) but Langstrom being voiced by Marc Singer (aka the Beastmaster) and his wickedly pointed eyebrows kind of give the game away from the beginning.

He'd be a much better Spider-Man villain, (in fact, he is, as that's basically the set of Spider-Man villain the Lizard) but as a Batman villain, he pretty much lacks. The only way he could be interesting to me is if he were truly an inversion of Batman, a tiny bat that dresses up like a man, perhaps in Bruce Wayne's shockingly brown suit. (In true cartoon style, the brown suit is the only one multi-millionaire Bruce Wayne seems to own).

Which brings us back to the question, why lead with Man-Bat? As far as I can tell, three reasons.

One) Using Man-Bat allows the animators to show off some pretty impressive action sequences. From the beginning, when the police blimp rises through the clouds in a particularly Miyazaki-esque moment, to the "chase" at the end, with Batman dragged over skyscrapers and through the construction sites of Gotham, the "camera" moves in smooth and dizzying ways that were a sharp break from the flat (read, cheap) animation style that had dominated the action cartoons of the 80s, like GI Joe and Transformers.

Two) By having the first villain be, for all intents and purposes, a Batman impostor, the series establishes in the first five minutes Batman's adversarial relationship with the authority of Gotham. Commissioner Gordon is a half-hearted defender of Batman at best, unable to stop Mayor Hill from launching a tactical assault on Batman. And Gordon doesn't have a loyal Chief O'Hara as his underling, but Detective Harvey Bullock, who openly undermines Gordon's authority in blatant disregard for Gordon's wishes while taking orders directly from the Mayor. Even a pre-Two Face Harvey Dent, who appears in a one-line unnamed cameo flipping a coin, is happy to work for Bullock (maybe it's because they share a name).

It's Bullock who really serves as the antagonist for the episode. He leaks the witness report that implicates Batman to the press, he brings it to the Mayor, he leads the SWAT team, and he's chartering the helicopter that's chasing Batman even as Batman is desperately clinging to Man-Bat high over the Gotham skyline. Capturing Man-Bat is really just a way of getting Bullock off his back. Actually curing Langstrom and returning him to normal life is an after-thought.

Not that Bullock doesn't have a point: Batman IS a nut. Gordon doesn't want a vigilante force on the street, but that's exactly what Batman is. And Batman doesn't do himself any favors either. Even before the cops show up to arrest him, Batman's investigations involve breaking into a crime scene and knocking out the cop on duty (possibly an early appearance of Renee Montoya). The story bible claims that Hill and Bullock have different motives for going after Batman, the Mayor to protect his corrupt friends, Bullock because he feels that brutality in the name of law and order is HIS job, but their motives aren't really delved into. All that's important for this episode and going forward is that Batman and the cops DO NOT WORK TOGETHER. There is not Bat-phone. There is no Bat-Signal. They are rivals at best, enemies at worst.

And three) By having a villain who transforms into a giant flying bat, Batman: the Animated Series established itself as the version of Batman that could have Man-Bat in it. A flying Man-Bat would have been impossible in Batman '66, would be too science-fictional for the Nolan Batman movies, and even the Burton Batman movies would have found it too unrealistic. (I say that, but Batman Returns does end with an army of rocket propelled penguins, so who's to say where the series would have gone had Burton stayed with it).

But budget and realism were not going to be problems for this series. If it takes an anime-style transformation sequence for Batman to be smacked face first into a helicopter, then fangs are a go. Because, if the police blimps and a man dressed in a cape didn't tell you already, Batman: the Animated Series does NOT take place in a real world, or even a world that tries to be real. It's a fictionopolis, a place where any type of story could happen. Sure, they could have started with a Joker episode, and when the Joker pulls out his giant killer robots, (or the Penguin his rocket army), you could dismiss that by saying, "he's a supervillain. They can do these things." But starting with Man-Bat shows that in Gotham, in THIS Gotham, anyone could have a monster inside them.

Other notes from re-watching the show for the first time in fifteen years:

I had forgotten how, if you'll forgive me, cartoony the animation is sometimes. Bruce Timm was coming off Tiny Toon Adventures and it shows in the way the poor security guard reacts in the opening sequence, or the way Bullock bounces as he moves. Bullock even looks like Montana Max.

It's funny that the first thing you see Batman do, after the opening credits, is smile and banter with Alfred. It's also weird to hear Clive Revill as Alfred, since he's replaced after a few episodes with Efrem Zimbalist Jr., who may have the coolest name ever.

The show also establishes the difference between Batman and Bruce Wayne, so that it sounds wrong when "Wayne's" voice comes out of Batman's mouth.

I was also struck by the score. Shirley Walker gets a lot of deserved praise for the music for the series, and even here at the beginning, it mighty impressive. Maybe it's just using a full orchestra instead of a synth, but clever moments like referencing In The Hall of the Mountain King during the transformation, or masking the rising police sirens with the "I'm doing detective work score," or even just the repeated use of horns to announce Batman's arrival, the music gives the show a timeless, classic, and epic quality.

Another thing I learned was that Paul Dini, who is often credited with the series along with Bruce Timm, isn't involved. At all. These episodes are produced by Timm and series co-creator Eric Rodomski.

So, all in all, not a bad start. The plot's a little uneven and Man-Bat is, well, Man-Bat, but most of the main cast is introduced nicely, ongoing conflicts are brought into play, and we got to see Batman fly. It certainly makes me excited to see the next episode, with a villain I actually care about.

What did you guys think? (And also, still looking for your thoughts on WORST episode, in say, the first four seasons of the show, i.e. what I have on DVD.)

*images take from toonzone.net

Batman: The Animated Series Re-Watch: The Beginninging

2010-09-26T12:00:00.005-04:00

... Hello? HELLO? Is anyone still here?

So... it's been a while since I last posted (like, a year). There's been reasons, mostly work related, which I'll tell you all about when the time comes.

But lately, I've been considering re-watching the Bruce Timm and Paul Dini Batman: the Animated Series (or BTAS, as the kids are saying) and writing up my thoughts on the show. Looking back, the show was remarkable on a number of fronts. It's good superhero adventures, good kids cartoon, good noir, good television, heck, it's just plain good storytelling. And thanks to a sale on Amazon (still going on, as of September 26th) I finally own all four seasons.

So I decided to dust off of the old web-log, fire up the atomic turbines, and let a rip. Be warned, though, after Twittering for a year, I'm looking to start writing long again, in complete sentences that flow into other sentences to create whole paragraphs and articles that are coherent and complicated. So unless you're looking forward to 10,000 words on the importance of being Man-Bat, you may want to look away.

But before we get to the least-cleverly named Batman villain, let's take the overview. I consider Batman: the Animated Series to be the defining portrayal of Batman in the modern age, more than the movies (even Christopher Nolan's) and more than the comics. And this is intentional, because Dini and Timm (according to their story bible, which I'll be referencing a lot, so you might want to give it a read) set out to create a series that synthesized the Batman in comics, the Batman in the Tim Burton movies, the Max Fleisher Superman cartoons from the early 40s, and a style they referred to as "Dark Deco," into one defining product.

And I think it worked. For me, Kevin Conroy is what Batman sounds like. And I know plenty of people who consider Mark Hamill's portrayal of the Joker to be, not just the best work Hamill has ever done, but the best version of the Joker ever. Dini and Timm managed to pare down characters with, at the time, 50 years of history to most basic elements and create the "truest" version of each character. (Usually. Sometimes, like with Mr. Freeze, they completely re-wrote a character to make it work in the show, and as such redefined the character forever.)

That's not to say that some influences aren't stronger than others. Burton's second outing, Batman Returns, which came out the same year the cartoon premiered, weighs heavily on the series, providing the atmosphere, a mix of 40s fashion and architecture, the evocative Danny Elfman score and the general tone; dark, more serious than funny, but with an strong dose of the fantastic. If anything the series is more fantastic than the movies, with its man-beasts, immortal assassins, and transforming mounds of clay, and yet somehow less surreal.

And though it was a cartoon aimed specifically at children, Batman: the Animated Series broke from the mold in some very specific ways. For one, the criminals fired actual guns. After years of GI Joe, where two armies fired lasers at each other, and never seemed to hit anything, it was shocking to a twelve year old Steven to see crooks shooting bullets, and sometimes even hitting people with them! This was mitigated, somewhat, by the fact that they were firing Tommy Guns in what was nominally 1992, but still, actual violence and the threat of real death. The show also dealt with, sometimes subtextually, sometimes explicitly, domestic abuse, stalking, guilt, corporate malfeasance, police corruption, torture, and seduction. Heady topics for a lead-in to Animaniacs.

So the plan is to see if that still holds up, almost twenty years later. Everything I've heard says that they do, though I must admit it's been awhile since I've seen an episode myself. I'll write up each episode, skipping the summary and heading write into the analysis, what this episode is about, what inspired it, and how well it worked. As most episodes are villain oriented, a lot of these posts are going to be as well.

Since each episode is 22 minutes long, it shouldn't be THAT hard to go through them, so expect fairly regular posting, if not one a day then at least three a week. Reader participation is of course encouraged. If you've got more to share, an interesting tid-bit to offer, or an opposing point of view, just add it to the comments.

I'll start off the first discussion with a question, what's the WORST episode of Batman: the Animated Series? I look forward to hearing your answers, and your reasoning. (Also, when I get to that episode, I'll give you a shout out).

Race for the Cure 2009

2009-08-20T12:28:00.003-04:00

Hi,

On Sunday, September 13, 2009, I'll be Racing for the Cure (very slowly around Central Park). Please help me with a donation that will go towards breast cancer education, screenings, treatment programs, and research for a cure. If each of you contributes five dollars, we'll donate over $1200 towards finding a cure.

You can donate at this site: Komen Greater New York City - Race for the Cure 2009.

Thank you for your consideration, and your generosity.

Posted using ShareThis

It's Scott Pilgrim Day!

2009-02-04T15:03:00.000-05:00

Today is Scott Pilgrim Day, the celebration of the (roughly) yearly release of a new volume of Scott Pilgrim, Bryan Lee O’Malley’s video game-inspired action-comedy-romance, and your intrepid Tor.com reporter was on scene at Jim Hanley’s Universe in New York City for the midnight release party to bring you the story (and to get his book signed).

Bryan Lee O’Malley (pictured above being totally awesome), started signing at 12:01am, the first moment anyone could legally buy the books, and was still signing till well past 1:30am. And up to the end he was delightfully chipper, signing playing cards and drawing smiley faces while a camera crew from Universal Pictures looked on (Universal is producing the Scott Pilgrim movie, directed by Edgar Wright and starring Michael Cera). And everyone who attended got the special foil cover (IT’S SHINY!) with obi wrap (pictured below)!

For those who don’t know, Scott Pilgrim is the story of a 23-year-old slacker whose life changes when he meets Ramona Flowers, literally the girl of his dreams. But before they can live happily ever after, Scott must defeat her Seven Evil Ex-Boyfriends in Street Fighter-esque combat. By the beginning of the latest volume, Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe, Scott has already defeated four of the seven exes, gotten a real job and moved in with Ramona. Now he has to face his biggest challenge yet, a real relationship.

None of which really tells you what drags over a hundred comics fans out of their basements on a Tuesday night to get an early copy, or what’s going to make Scott Pilgrim THE book for the upcoming New York Comic Con. Some of it is that the books are blisteringly funny; it is riddled with references to comic book and video game culture (the name of Scott’s band is “Sex Bob-Omb”); O’Malley employs an art style that blends American action comics, indie autobiographical style, and manga conventions; and that it has a huge cast of great characters, like Knives Chau, lovestruck high school girl/ninja, or Todd Ingram, who has Vegan super powers.

But mostly, Scott Pilgrim captures the spirit of being young and in love. How getting through a date feels like an achievement. How the past can overcome people not yet twenty-five. How the future can be terrifying (even if it includes jet packs). And how much easier life would be if you could punch it in the face.

I would so punch life in the face.

(Crossposted with Tor.com)

New York Comic Con

2009-02-03T11:16:00.002-05:00

Is this thing still on? Hello?

Um, sorry for the ultra low content mode.

This isn't really a post either. Just wanted to let y'all know I'll be working the New York Comic Con this weekend.

If, for some inexplicable reason, you'd like to meet me, I'll be at the Tor/Seven Seas booth on Friday from 1-4, and Saturday from 4-7, and will otherwise be around for the rest of the con.

See you there!

Steven

My Endorsement

2008-11-04T07:23:00.004-05:00

"I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father, Jor-el, to save the Planet Earth."

Vote for the superhero geek.

I'm over there!

2008-08-08T21:57:00.000-04:00

First post up on Tor.com! It's about ROBOTS! And Mirrors!

Moving Right Along

2008-07-21T10:21:00.001-04:00

Tor Books has a new group blog.

I work for Tor.

...

I'll be blogging on the Tor's new group blog, so radio silence on this blog will continue for a while longer.

"You Know, For Kids"

2008-05-02T12:56:00.003-04:00

Is there anyway to track newsstands sales of comics?

I ask because, when analyzing monthly sales figures, The Beat uses Diamond shipments and bookstore sales numbers to calculate sales, with the caveat that this will under report more kid-oriented books, such as the Johnny DC and Marvel Adventure line, that sell better at the newsstands.

So I have a theory, but without newsstands sales figures, I only have anecdotal evidence to back it up.

I think Blue Beetle is the gateway comic.

You know, that mythical beast, the comic you can give to a 10-12 year old, where he or she doesn't have to know the history to jump right in, is age appropriate and yet intelligent and genuinely moving, and might, just might, interest the young reader, or older reluctant superhero fan, to get interested in the rest of the superhero universe.

I think this because, well... That promo piece for the new kid oriented The Brave and the Bold cartoon? There's Blue Beetle. The cover for the Johnny DC Tiny Titans? There's Blue Beetle again. The "Spanish" issue that came out this week is part of an effort to attract more Hispanic readers. Matt Sturges, new ongoing writer, what's the most important part of the series? "I want Blue Beetle to continue to be a book that’s as fun for my twelve-year-old nephew as it is for me and my friends".

Clearly someone thinks that Blue Beetle not only appeals to kids, but that the character is actually an excellent ambassador for the DC Universe as a whole. Certainly sales of the series in the direct market don't support this claim (lower than canceled series Shadowpact ~~and Checkmate~~, which launched the same month as Blue Beetle).

Which leads me to suspect that Blue Beetle is selling in newsstand market. But I don't have any numbers to back that up, and can't seem to find any.

Can someone help me out?

As Seen on the Daily Show

2008-04-30T11:40:00.003-04:00

Not to go all Warren Ellis or anything but seriously: What year is this?

Thirteen "suspected sorcerers" have been arrested in the Congo for "stealing or shrinking penises".

Strangely enough, the arrests are the most rational part of the story, since arresting these "suspected sorcerers" is the best way of protecting innocent people, usually foreigners, from being beaten and burned by angry mobs spurred on by panicked men screaming that their penises have vanished.

It's straight out of Monty Python's Holy Grail, including the part where the police try to explain to the "victim" that he still has a penis, and is not believed.

Maybe the worst part of the story, this strange brew of superstition, sexual anxiety, paranoia, xenophobia, and just out and out ignorance, is that it's not an isolated incident: it's common. In 2001 in Benin, in 1997 in Ghana, in China and the Sudan, wherever understanding of human anatomy is low, this pattern repeats and repeats.

It's sickening and depressing. People are dying because no one took these men aside during puberty and said "Penises shrink. It happens. Sometime it's anxiety, sometimes it's just cold. Here, watch this episode of Seinfeld."

People, we need to talk frankly about sex. People have to learn how their bodies work. Sex is how we as a species survive, it's built into our notions of romantic love and gender dynamics. If people grow up not understanding one of the most vital parts of living, they are going to just be fucked up, and more people are going to die because some idiot stayed in a cold shower too long.

Apples and Much Much Bigger Apples

2008-04-10T23:49:00.003-04:00

Kevin has a moment of clarity about the comics industry when he reads that CBS canceled a show after it's first episode got only 4.6 million viewers.

But that's a highly unfair comparison.

There is no medium that can compare to television (particularly broadcast television) in terms of popularity.

Yes, the comics industry is a small niche market. The best selling comics sell a hundred thousand, maybe, and the average is sales are closer to the ten thousand range (maybe higher if you're Marvel or DC, but not by much). So if 4.6 million people bought a comic, it would be the best selling comic in the last thirty years.

But if a (non-Harry Potter) book sold 4.6 million, it would ALSO be record shattering and pay for all of the other books that publisher would put out that year.

A movie that sold 4.6 million tickets would make 40 million dollars, which is a healthy opening weekend (it's how much "There Will Be Blood" made, total).

Heck, even Battlestar Galactica, a HIGHLY successful show--on cable--had only 2 million tune in for the season 4 premier.

Network television is a low cost medium. Low financial cost (once you've bought the set, broadcast shows are free). Low cost to acquire (the program is piped directly into the home). Low cost to "read" (the pictures and sound happen for you). It's incredibly easy get and understand and enjoy.

Comics, ALL comics, not just the superhero stuff, are high cost mediums. Each issue costs money, they must be acquired at book stores if not specialty shops, and they must be read with a skill for navigating image and word that must be learned. That requires a lot more investment from the reader, and thus a lot less people feel like its worth it.

When you compare comics to a more similarly costed medium, like genre paperbacks (which also must be purchased, which need to be bought in stores or specialty stores, which require specialized knowledge of the genre or series), then the sales numbers become a lot more similar, averaging around ten thousand of so.

And of course I'm talking about comic books. Comic strips, like Dilbert, which are syndicated in almost every paper in America, have GIGANTIC audiences in the high high millions. That's because they are low cost financially (they don't cost extra once you've bought the paper) and they don't require a lot of effort to get (most papers are still delivered to the front door). Web comics have similar advantages of ease of acquiring.

But they'll still be comics, with a sequence of words and pictures telling a story, which means it will still take more effort to read than to watch television, and that's going to reduce potential audience. (not that TV shows can't be complex. Many are. They just don't have to be). So comparing comics to network shows is always going to be comparing apples to apple orchards. Comics just cannot compete.

Adaptation

2008-04-08T12:10:00.002-04:00

From Blog@Newsarama in regards to Angel Season 6, the comics continuation of the television series:

Any time you’re thinking “wow, we could never have done this on TV!” that’s a sign that you shouldn’t be doing it.

I have trouble disagreeing with that statement more.

I think it defeats the whole purpose of adapting a story from one medium to another if the adaptation is limited strictly to doing what the earlier version has already done, and better.

It seems to me that the only reason to adapt a show to comics (or a comic to movies, or whatever) is specifically to do what could not be done (or done well) in the previous medium.

The law office drama (with occasional fights) that was Angel season 5 worked with live actors, television length episodes and pacing, and, honestly, better dialog writers. It would have been deathly boring to repeat that on the page, where snappy banter is harder to communicate and actors' charisma doesn't come through the pencil and inks.

On the other hand, "Angel fights a dragon", exciting as that is and hinted at in the series finale, would have looked terrible with television quality special effects, but makes terrific comics.

Arguably, too many changes lose the intangible essence of the original, and that's terrible too. But an adaptation that does nothing but repeat what has come before, what was designed for the strengths and weaknesses of its previous form, is an adaptation that should not be done.

Really?

2008-01-22T12:36:00.000-05:00

So there's a petition to save J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, from being killed in an upcoming crossover.

To say I think this is stupid is probably pretty obvious.

First off, there's the fact that he's a fictional character, and his death will have ZERO consequences in the real world.

Then there's the fact that, even in the DC Universe, his "death" is unlikely to be anything permanent. He's a brand character with forty years of history, a role in the justice league (sage advisor) that just isn't filled by any other character, and a huge fondness with fans and creators alike.

Plus he's an alien, shape-shifting, psychic. Which is three plausible resurrection strategies right there. Add in non-character saves like time-travel and clones, and you're looking at a guy who just won't stay dead.

All of which is besides the point. The point is this is a petition against the possibility of J'onn J'onzz being killed. This isn't trying to bring back a forgotten character, or be given a bigger role. The petition wants J'onn J'onzz to never even appear to be in any real danger of dying.

Well, doesn't that just rob any story about him of any drama? If we know that J'onn can't die, why do we care?

Yes, I wasn't happy when the Bart Allen Flash died, but that was because the solicitations basically said, "In this issue, Bart Allen dies." There was no suspense, just a joyless death march, which made for a terrible story. If this petition were successful, I'd be just as unhappy for the same reason. Without the possibility of death, the possibility of failure, the story is just boring.

Which is, basically, what this petition is. It's a plea to DC not to kill a beloved character, at the cost of drama and plot. "Please, Mr. Didio, don't threaten me with unhappy endings. I just don't know if I can take it."

Look, there's lots of causes regarding superhero comics I fully support. I would love to see new female and minority characters, and better writing for the ones that already exist. I'd like to see more support for less "mainstream" books and self-contained, new reader friendly books (basically, please please please keep Blue Beetle and Manhunter going). I even support the return of characters that were "loaned" to Vertigo fifteen years ago.

But I can't support the preservation of the status quo just so some schmoe can keep his imaginary best friend.

p.s. the other character rumored to be killed along with the Martian Manhunter is Aquaman. Who is already dead right now. And no one cares!

Booster Gold #6

2008-01-16T17:20:00.000-05:00

So, in this issue, everything that fans have been asking for since Countdown to Infinite Crisis, um, happens. Time-traveler Booster Gold goes back to save the Blue Beetle from being killed.

Moreover, he does so at minimum personal cost (he gets bruised a bit) and with, he's assured, no repercussions to the timeline (everyone, including Max Lord, will still think Ted Kord was killed, Wonder Woman will still snap his neck, and Infinite Crisis will proceed apace.)

This is, on one hand, highly unsatisfying and, on the other hand, terribly exciting!

You see, if it were just this issue, then the ease with which Booster changes history to his liking would be emotionally hollow. Nothing so boring as unearned reward. Particularly since Booster's greatest wish is just handed to him by "Future" Blue Beetle, a cypher of a character who appears out of nowhere with a Deus Ex Machina, um, machine.

But but but, in context, the ease with which Booster Gold saves his best friend gives a fantastic sense of dread. Because in context, we know there is going to be a price.

Last issue, Rip Hunter painfully demonstrated the futility of trying to change a "solidified" event (and that's going to be another post, about what counts as a "solid" event in shifting comics continuity.) And next issue is a tie-in to Zero Hour: A Crisis in Time, and solicitations for the issue after that show Booster and Beetle facing a world where Max Lord won.

It's reminiscent of JSA #66, the last time Geoff Johns tied a story directly into Zero Hour where heroes from today travel back in time to save a hero just before he dies. Not only does the one hero (android Hourman) have to die to save the other (original flavor Hourman), but it opens a "window" that allowed a time traveling Nazi to take over the world (a Nazi who happened to cameo in issue #5 of Booster Gold, by the way)!

And that's one way the story could proceed ("Future Blue Beetle" will probably turn out to be a villain trying to change time to his liking). But tying it into Zero Hour presents a different route the story could take, and I'm really excited about the next issue.*

For those that don't know, Zero Hour was DC's first sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, a weekly miniseries with the cute gimmick that it counted down to its final, zero issue. (Why doesn't DC do something like that anymore?) And while the meta-textual purpose of the series was to wipe clean some of the messy character histories, the story itself was about...

... okay, the story itself is the usual crossover mess where a lot of stuff happens but not a lot of it makes sense, and the entire plot occurs in the last issue.

But, in retrospect, Zero Hour is about Hal Jordan's attempt to fix the mistakes of his past, and utter destruction it causes. And the destruction of all time and space weren't unintended side effects of Hal's plan. That was his plan. That was his point.

Which neatly parallels Booster's position. Booster Gold is now capable of fine tuning history exactly to his liking. Not only is he likely to go save his sister, who was tragically killed, but he might also go and save Sue Dibny, or Spoiler. He might go back and, using the tech he had this issue, stop Barbara Gordon from being paralyzed.

But why stop there? He could keep Doomsday from ever "killing" Superman. He could keep Lex Luthor from even being born. Booster is a very fallible character (which is what makes him such a great character). Given unlimited power, what would stop him from using it? What stops Booster, like Hal before him, from playing God?

And that's a story I'd like to read!

*The other reasons I'm excited to read a tie-in issue to a twelve year old crossover are that a) if "all of time" was threatened, then "all of time" is still threatened, um, all of the time and b) it's Geoff Johns first opportunity to write Hal Jordan as Parallax since his reveal that Hal was possessed by a giant yellow space bug, and I'm curious to see how he plays that.

Spider-Man? Me?

2008-01-11T12:07:00.000-05:00

I like Spider-Man as a character, but I don't buy his comics. I find them angst-filled affairs too caught up in their own byzantine history to be inviting or appealing, and the recent string of editorial stunts has replaced real storytelling and character growth with cosmetic changes.

So why did I buy The Amazing Spider-Man #546, the first issue of "Brand New Day"?

Dan Slott.

What can I say, I love the way the man writes Spider-Man. Whether it the riotous guest appearance in She-Hulk or the the Free Comic Book Day issue (you know, the one with the Spider-Man-obsessed supervillain, a perfectly healthy Aunt May, and new superhero named Jackpot who calls everyone Tiger?), Slott's Spider-Man is upbeat, resourceful, and actually FUNNY. Screaming about the lemon cake he is missing while being dragged through the streets of New York was one of the best moments in comics last year!

So I figured, what the heck, let's try it out! And the results are...

...okay? Slott's writing is still good. The dialog is clever and the results of Peter's misguided attempt to catch a crook in his plainclothes is a wonderful "wah wah wah" moment, and even the melodramatic cliffhanger seems there only to set up a mind-blowingly awesome splash page next issue. The art's okay. Steve McNiven's photo-realistic style is pretty but lends the affair a serious the writing doesn't back up. A more cartoonish style might have been more appropriate.

But the real problem is the new status-quo, which Dan Slott basically admits, was handed to the entire creative team before any of them (including editor Steve Wacker) was hired. And it's not that I have problem that it is a new status quo (I wasn't terribly invested in the old one), or that the new status quo was created in one of the worst ways possible (that's a complaint for another day...).

The problem is that the new status quo is so relentlessly... old. Peter's back living with Aunt May? Peter still doesn't have a steady job? Harry Osborn's back from the dead? But everyone else in the world has moved on? It's like they stuck a 22 year old in a 30 years old body.

And it doesn't help that Peter actually thinks about how unfunny it is to still be living with his aunt. Usually hanging a lantern on the problem helps the reader acknowledge it and move on, but in this case I just found myself nodding my head and asking what Slott was going to do about it.

The worst part is the return of Harry Osborn, acting for all the world like Michael Rosenbaum on Smallville. Harry being back drives home the point that this IS your father's Spider-Man, exactly as he remembers it.

Harry represents a giant plot hole in the current storyline (if Peter needs a place to stay and Harry wants to help, like his company, AND has a giant apartment, why doesn't Peter move in with Harry?). He also represents a problem with the general plotline. His missing years are a mystery, and trying to explain them reminds readers of One More Day, and no one wants to think about that anymore.*

But I'm going to stick around for the next two issues because a) Dan Slott, and b) I'm hoping by the end of the first storyline, we'll have a new, workable status quo to go forward with. Because I like Spider-Man. I like comics.

It'd be nice if I could like Spider-Man comics.

*I keep typing "One Day More". Guess I got a little Cosette in me.

Stay in Your Bubble

2008-01-10T11:05:00.000-05:00

Siskoid has an interesting post on "bubble worlds", the smaller circles of temporal and physical setting superhero characters exist in within the frame work of a larger, company-wide continuity.

It's funny, because "bubble worlds" used to be the norm for superhero stories before the 60s and 70s. Superheroes used to exist in their own stories in their own comics unmolested by outside interference. They stayed in their own fiction-opolises and only teamed up in special "team up" books like Justice League or Teen Titans that had their own continuity, existed in their own bubble.

It was the rise of the Marvel heroes (who all worked in New York and therefore ran into each other all the time in their individual books), Roy Thomas's ret-con fixation ("all heroes are related somehow") and the popularity of crossover events that really created a meta-continuity within companies.

Even so, certain characters have almost always maintained their own bubble. For example, in Detective Comics, Batman rarely, if ever, teamed up with any of his Justice League allies, no matter how dangerous the situation became (plague, earthquake, monstrous plant woman).

Because if Batman called in Superman to help one time, the question would be why he didn't do that every time. And if he did call in Superman every time, then Detective Comics would be just another Superman title, with Batman reduced to the role of Jimmy Olsen.

The easier solution is for everyone (Batman, the villains, and the readers) to forget that Superman even exists, let alone that Batman has him on speed dial, and just tell the story of how Batman, and nobody else, would solve this problem.

The worst violator of this is Judd Winick in Green Arrow (Now Black Canary/Green Arrow). Winick writes some fun action and sets up good situations (the Arrow team is just being out-classed by two world class assassins, or Green Arrow II has been snipered in the middle of the ocean), but then blows it by having a deus ex machina in blue tights fly in to save the day. Twice now.

Now, the logical response for anyone in the DC Universe to horrible circumstances is to shout "Superman, save me!" because, more often than not, he will (Kurt Busiek did a good story about that last year). But in terms of story, nothing sucks out the suspense like knowing the heroes aren't really in any danger because a demigod is waiting in the wings. For story purposes, Black Canary/Green Arrow has to exist in a world without a superman.

Remember, DC isn't telling one story. It's telling and told lots and lots of stories, for over 70 years that we pretend all take place in the same place because it's more fun that way (again, I'm paraphrasing Busiek. Smart man). I think comic book stories are a lot better when they have stronger internal continuity and are worried less about their place in the grand scheme of things, where crossovers and cross-continuity is treated as a special event and not the norm. Basically, I'm advocating for stronger bubbles.

Like that guy from Lilo and Stitch.

Moving Up in the World

2008-01-09T10:11:00.000-05:00

That Tor Books/ Seven Seas merger in PW?

Tor has added assistant editor Steven Padnick to its staff to work on Tor/Seven Seas projects.

Yeah, that's me. That's not my title, I'm actually just an editorial assistant, but yeah, I work on comics, now.

Lost Woods

2007-12-10T12:15:00.000-05:00

This reminds me:

Why isn't Pete Woods a regular Superman artist?

Not to knock Gary Frank or Renato Guedes, the current regular artists, but I think we can all agree that (one of) the best Superman stories in years was "Up, Up and Away," followed closely by "Back in Action," both of which featured the fast and sure pencils of one Pete Woods (and provided the banner at the top of the page).

Since then, Woods has knocked out of the park The Superman-Prime Sinestro Corps one shot and drew the hell out of Amazons Attack. (No matter what you think of the story, the art was great).

Woods has a clean but powerful style, and he's as good at drawing expressive characters as he is at imaginary scenes. (A great slideshow can be found at his site, with examples of both the fantastic invasion of the Amazons and Superman's back in action pose after out racing a bullet.)

And after the production delays that have plagued the Superman books for the past year, DC could use a guy who is also fast and reliable. Some of the artists had trouble getting out 22 pages every two months. A year ago, it seemed Woods was laying down full issues every two weeks.

I think it's time for the undervalued artists who are great storytellers and reliable (the Woods, Immonens, Kirks, and Kramers of the world) be rewarded for their work. I want Woods on Superman now, so that I know I'm getting good comics every month!

(I will also accept him on JLA, JSA, or Teen Titans.)

The Search for Legitimacy Continues...

2007-11-19T12:18:00.001-05:00

Completely stolen from Making Light:

Team Ups I'd Like to See

2007-11-06T09:59:00.000-05:00

So, in 1996, with a new Green Arrow, Buddhist monk Connor Hawke, and a new Green Lantern, freelance artist Kyle Rayner, Chuck Dixon and Ron Marz thought it'd be fun to do a crossover and revive the old GL/GA from the "Relevancy" period of the early '70s.

Charitably, it didn't work.

It didn't work for a number of reasons, but the biggest one, I think, is that Kyle and Connor didn't play off each other very well. What made the original stories work was that liberal hothead Oliver Queen clashed beautifully with conservative, um, conservative Hal Jordan. Neither Kyle nor Connor are particularly instigators, and attempts to make one of them the instigator comes off as off-character and childish.

It didn't help that Kyle had already found a worthy sparring partner in Wally West, a hero with years of experience taking on the legacy of his father-figure who resented Kyle as the new guy taking the job of a man Kyle never really knew. Compared to their sparks, the Kyle Conner team ups kind of fell flat.

No, the team up I want to see is the Conner Hawke-Roy Harper team up. Now there are two guys who clash.

On the one hand, you have Roy "Speedy/Arsenal/Red Arrow" Harper, a character dating back to 1941 when he was adopted by Green Arrow Oliver Queen, who has a checkered history of drug-abuse, fathered a child with a terrorist, and in general is presented as a horn-dog who cultivates a persona of edgy rebellion. Even his recent, inexplicable addition to the Justice League was marked mostly by his falling into bed with Hawkgirl.

On the other hand, you have Connor "Green Arrow" Hawke, a Zero Hour baby dating back to only 1994, who retroactively turned out to be Oliver Queen's abandoned son and enjoyed almost immediate promotion to role of Green Arrow himself and a spot in the Justice League (you know, under Grant Morrison, back when that actually meant something!) As a lifelong Zen Buddhist, Connor doesn't drink, doesn't eat meat, and despite being constantly hit upon, shows nearly zero interest in sex (leading to speculation he's gay).

So here are two characters who are something like brothers, with a common heritage and skill set, so team-ups make sense and occur naturally, and yet they could not act more differently. Roy would instigate, Connor would play peacemaker. Roy's experience as a government agent and Teen Titans leader makes him an excellent pre-op strategist, Connor's lifetime training in Kung Fu makes him a better in the field tactician and improviser. Roy would openly resent Connor for inheriting the title and respect Roy worked for years to earn, while Connor would (probably quietly) envy Roy for having the childhood Connor missed.

Correct me if I'm wrong (and I almost certainly am) but has anyone explored the relationship between the two men who would be the next Green Arrow? Isn't that were the story is, between the genetic son and the adopted one, nature vs. nurture, hedonist vs. celibate, experience vs. natural skill, and tradition vs. the new?

That's what I would like to see.

The Tao of Steve

2007-11-02T09:57:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday, Mr. Ditko!

Setting the Time

2007-10-18T13:52:00.000-04:00

On Lorendiac's LiveJournal, he lists the nine categories of continuity for an ongoing superhero story. It's an excellent list and very useful for understanding the context in which most stories are written.

If I may be so bold, I'd like to add an addendum to Category #3, "Continuity of Environment", which basically states that stories about particular characters need to take place in specific locations. I.e., Batman stories are set in Gotham, a major city located somewhere in the northeast United States. If Batman is out of Gotham in any particular story, you almost have to explain why he's not in Gotham.

My addendum is that, on top to continuity of a physical environment, there is also a continuity of temporal environment. Stories about a particular character are also set in a particular era, and for superheroes, that era is always "the present."

And anyone who has ever used the phrase "sliding timeline" in casual conversation immediately sees what the problem with that is.

To maintain continuity of personality (Category #2), to say that Batman is Bruce Wayne, the original Bruce Wayne who personally witnessed his parents' death and not someone else who happens to have the same name, we have to say that it's been only 12 or 13 years since he first put on the cape, instead of the 70 plus it's actually been in the real world. But to maintain continuity of setting, Batman has be operating in 2007, not 1952! But writers want their cake and eat it too, so time does pass but the character don't age, and if they won't push back the "current" date, they'll push forward the original one, indefinitely.*

Please understand that this is unusual. In any other genre or medium, the setting is either set by the original author as a specific point in the past, or at least remains the period in which it was originally written, because it is in their original setting that the characters make the most sense, and by maintaining continuity of setting we understand this to be the same character we've read about before.

For the most part, Sherlock Holmes stories are set in Victorian London, no matter when there were actually written. Tarzan stories are set in the turn of the century. Sgt. Rock stories are in World War II, Jonah Hex in the post-Civil War west. There are counter-examples to all of those cases but in every case you can feel it is the exception not of the rule. If a Sherlock Holmes movie were set in 2007, it would be called a bold updating. If a Batman story were set in 1939, it would be called an Elseworlds!

This works better for some characters than for others. Spider-Man, so far, is pretty timeless. The basics of his character, setting, and origin aren't particularly linked to the 1960s. And, sadly, the metaphors of prejudice and alienation are always going to be relevant for the X-Men.

But the Fantastic Four got their powers racing Communists into space, and the Incredible Hulk is the product of an nuclear bomb test in the Arizona desert. These are characters of their time, and to take them out of their time is to make them, to some degree, different characters! Frank Castle, Vietnam veteran, is a different character than Frank Castle, Gulf War veteran. (Or Iraq War, in a couple of years).

Maybe that's why Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier worked so well. Re-contextualizing Green Lantern, the Flash, and the Martian Manhunter as products of the late 1950s brings them to life as airmen ready to go to the stars, police using new science to make modern life better, and immigrants fearful of Red Scare xenophobia. And the Golden Age heroes, (Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman) look and act like relics of an earlier time, trying to redefine themselves for a new era.

In short, automatically setting your new story featuring an old character in "the present" without thinking of the consequences is dangerous. Some characters are going to fly through the years no problem. But, for the most part, characters just don't time travel that easy.

*An odd corollary of this is DC 1,000,000, the conceit of the crossover is we get to see the millionth issue of Detective Comics, starring a prison warden inspired by the legend of the Batman of the 20th Century. But this rings false because we know that if, miracle of miracles, DC Comics is still publishing one million months from now, the star of Detective Comics is still going to be Bruce Wayne!

"Stop Me If You've Heard This One... A Superhero Walks Into a Trap..."

2007-10-17T16:23:00.000-04:00

I want to like Dwayne McDuffie's run on Justice League of America.

I really do.

But something just isn't clicking. I mean, the first issue of his run, the JLA Wedding Special, was really good: strong characterization, a good sense of humor, and action and the sense of a moving plot.

But three issues in and, while the humor and characters are still there, the plot has totally stalled.

The Injustice League's whole plan seems to be bait the heroes into a trap, wait for them to arrive in two and threes, beat the crap out of them quickly and then disappear with as many of them as possible. And they've successfully done this FIVE TIMES!

It makes the story repetitive and the Justice League look like morons. Which is only made worse by Superman shooting down Black Lightning's suggestion that after Batman AND Wonder Woman have been captured, it's time to call in some reinforcements, before rushing off to get captured like everyone else.

The story is basically in the same place it was at the end of the Wedding Special, in that I have no further insight into what the villains' ultimate plan is nor have the heroes done anything to reverse their misfortunes. And it's never a good feeling when you have to ask yourself why did you have to read the previous two issues.

The art's also been off. Mike McKone on the Wedding Special was alright, if not spectacular. And Ed Benes in issue #14 comes through with his usual flaws (all the men have the same over-muscled body, all the women have the same over-sexualized body, and if he can slip in an ass or panty shot, he will). But Joe Benitez on issue #13 was just awful. The women aren't just over-sexualized, they looked like poorly constructed Barbie dolls and the men, particularly back in the spotlight John Stewart (Green Lantern), had teeny tiny heads on huge bodies.

I mean, there still is a lot of stuff to like. Black Lightning, at least, is being portrayed as a competent hero and GeoForce's best feature (according to Gorilla Grodd) is a hoot, as is most of the interaction of the Injustice League. So I'll stick it out to the end of the first storyline (as I did for Meltzer) to see if he can turn it around...

But seriously, if one more supposedly brilliant hero walks willingly into an obvious trap only to get sucker punched, I quit.

On Secret Identities

2007-10-05T13:03:00.001-04:00

Ah, the secret identity, the classic troupe of superhero stories that falls apart the moment you think too hard about it.

I mean, it's hardly going over new ground to point out that a pair of glasses is hardly a disguise, but as John Byrne and Howard Mackie pointed out in an issue of Star Brand, even with a full mask it shouldn't be THAT hard for any motivated person to figure out the identity of any sufficiently public hero.

Add to that the fact that justifications for a duel identity are often weak and maintaining a secret life leads to some pretty irresponsible behavior, and it seems like a story idea that's not worth keeping.

And yet it persists. In fact, it's one of the things almost all superheroes have in common, from Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne to Harry Potter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And while it makes no sense in terms of "realism," as power fantasy it's almost necessary.

It's what allows us to both empathize with a superhero ("Hey! I'm a mild-mannered schlub who awkwardly hits on my hot co-worker!") and imagine what it's like to have inhuman abilities ("Ooh, if only she knew that I could fly in my underwear!"). It brings the fantastic into the mundane world, and lets us imagine that anyone could really be a secret superhero, they just are hiding it, for some reason.

Perhaps the purest example of this fantasy is Captain Marvel. I mean, it doesn't get any more pathetic than Billy Batson, orphaned AND homeless eight year old, but with just a magic word he can become the most powerful superhero on the earth! And not just a kid superhero, either, like Robin or Kid Flash, but an adult, sidekick to no one! There, the secret identity works perfectly. One, it's a disguise no one is just going to see through, because he actually looks different in his different identities. Two, it makes perfect sense for him to hide the fact that he's actually eight. No one would take him seriously if they knew he was just a kid, but as Captain Marvel he gets the respect reserved for adults.

And, in a way, every superhero has elements of that escapism, even for the characters themselves: their superhero identities are where they are loved, respected, and feared, no matter how mundane their "real" lives are. That if their superhero life became their ordinary life, along with the ordinary problems of paying bills, maintaining relationships, just being human, then being a superhero becomes less special.

It's interesting how, on the whole, the Marvel heroes subverted the secret identity troupe, where people are burdened by their superpowers and secret lives. Either their abilities are feared by the general public, even when used for good, like the X-Men, or their abilities out and out prevent them from having a normal life, like the Thing.

Most interesting of all in this respect is the Incredible Hulk, who is the negative side of the superhero power fantasy, the dark incarnation of Captain Marvel. Like Billy Batson, Dr. Bruce Banner becomes a physically different being when he becomes the Hulk. But, instead of just being freed from the bounds of human ability, the Hulk is also freed from the bounds of human behavior.

Captain Marvel still feels bound to protect the city and save lives. The Hulk, on the other hand, does whatever the Hulk wants, which more often than not is destroying everything he comes in contact with. The Hulk is escape not just from the physical self but also the moral self, and demonstrates the usually catastrophic results of such freedom.

The secret identity is our doorway into the world of the fantastic, the device that allows us to be both ourselves the readers in the real world and our heroes flying through a world of wonder. But it's important to remember there is a risk to this escape, a danger of losing sight of consequences, and somehow seeing our own actions as the responsibility of someone else.

Forced Isolation

2007-10-04T14:45:00.000-04:00

How many times have you heard the following line?

"We can't go to the authorities! They'll stick you in a lab and run experiments on you for the rest of your life!"?

A dozen? A hundred? It's in Smallville, Spider-Man, Eureka, all over Heroes. It's the explanation why every superhero and pseudo-superhero throughout fiction must hide their powers and not announce to the world that "Hey, I, Clark Kent, am actually an alien and have powers above and beyond that of mortal man! Isn't that cool?"

But it's, y'know, bullshit. If you woke up one day and discovered you had mysterious, extraordinary and possibly dangerous powers, wouldn't it be a good idea to go to people who could test you, explain what's happening and then help you control or possibly remove your powers? Isn't a bad idea to let a possibly rampaging green goliath wander around the general population just because Dr. Banner's scared of needles?

The "lab rat for life" line is just as bad as the "we can't go to the cops because they'll think we did it" excuse. No, if you're a suspect for a crime you didn't commit, the last thing you should do is run from the cops. You should go TO the police and explain your story in detail, so the cops can use all the information to find the real culprit. If you're really worried, bring a lawyer.

I understand why writers want to isolate their heroes, why they limit their resources and cut them off from most of society. The whole secret identity aspect of superheroes, that the seemingly mild-mannered man next to you might be hiding fantastic abilities depends on that man having a reason for hiding his powers.

But that reason has to be something real, like a frame job that could not be beaten in court (as it was in The Fugitive) or a known societal prejudice against people with powers (as with the X-Men), not just the hero's general paranoia of authority.

It certainly doesn't help that there's plenty of examples of "the hero with bizarre powers" going public and it working out just fine. The Fantastic Four never hid what they could do and they're the best loved heroes within the Marvel Universe. (The new) Blue Beetle was terrified of the alien weapon welded to his spine, so in issue 15 he went to S.T.A.R. Labs for tests and still got to go home to fight dark gods and alien bounty hunters (and got to meet Superman for his troubles). And in the surprisingly fun Chuck, the C.I.A. and the N.S.A. know about the secrets in Chuck's brain before Chuck does, but Chuck's still working in "Buy More" in episode 2, only with two agents watching his back and trying to help him adjust to his life.

In short, if the hero refuses to ask for help because he is afraid that "they" will get him if he does, he comes across as cynical, paranoid, and in many cases, just plain dumb. On the other hand, if your hero does seek aid, and discovers that it's dangerous to do so, well then, you've done some world building, established a villain, and developed your hero all in one fell swoop! Good job!

Or if your hero has a reason to hide her powers other than paranoia... but that's a post for another time.

Support Your Local Virgin

2007-09-21T15:52:00.000-04:00

So... on October 18th in New York City, I'll be reading from my first short story at the In The Flesh reading series, and I'd love to see you all there!

I'll be reading from my short story "Perfect Manhattan," the story of a yuppie power couple trying to have perfect children by conceiving them at exactly the right time in exactly the right place, which leads them to the Central Park Zoo, a conference room at Goldman Sachs, and (in the excerpt I'll be reading from), the A-train at rush hour.

It's a comedy.

In The Flesh is a monthly erotica reading series (yes my story is erotic, or at least dirty) run by Rachel Kramer Bussel. She was gracious enough to ask me to read because a) she's on my trivia team and b) it's Virgin Night, specifically for first time readers (like me) and first time authors (um, also like me).

So if you like my writing, or erotica, or free cupcakes (yes FREE cupcakes!), then come one down to the Happy Ending Lounge on October 18th!

I'll see you there!

Oh Snap!

2007-09-12T21:34:00.000-04:00

For some reason, my store didn't receive Action Philosophers #9 until today, so I didn't read this gem until just now:

... I blame Leibniz. You know you have a crappy philosophy when even Hegel thinks it's stupid.

Take that, alternate inventor of calculus!

Voice Work

2007-09-10T10:29:00.000-04:00

Chris at Mighty God King has a neat post on writing in the voice of your characters, particularly the experiment to write your character's version of the Gettysburg Address. And he does it twice, once as Brainiac 5, and another he asks us to guess.

And I am not above stealing good ideas.

So here it is, let's see if you can guess the character (It's a comics character, you know him or her).

Listen up, chumps! Years ago, the guys in charge made this country based on the idea that everyone has rights. Everyone's protected.

Now we're fighting this goddamn war to see if they were right, whether a country like ours can even survive. And we've come here to honor the boys who got killed fighting for this country and make a little monument to them. And, yeah yeah, it seems like it's the right thing to do.

But you know what? We can't do nothing these men didn't do themselves. They were the heroes, we're just jerks talking. If we really want to honor their memory, we gotta keep fighting. We gotta finish what these guys started and take the fight to those a-holes who started this. We take the fight to them and we tell 'em, "this country's going to survive, and it's going to be better than ever. And freedom, and equality, and justice? They ain't going nowhere, man. No way!"

Perenials and Outliers

2007-09-05T11:36:00.001-04:00

It's hard to imagine a day when DC Comics doesn't publish or plan to publish the following titles:

Action Comics
Superman
Detective Comics
Batman
Wonder Woman
Green Lantern
The Flash
Aquaman
Justice League
Justice Society
Teen Titans
The Legion of Superheroes

Yes, I know Aquaman is cancelled, but I assure you DC is actively soliciting pitches for a relaunch, looking for any way to get one of the most famous superheroes in the world back on the stands. Similarly, Marvel will always publish:

The Amazing Spider-Man
Uncanny X-Men
Fantastic Four
The Incredible Hulk
Captain America
Iron Man
The Avengers
Daredevil
The Punisher
Ghost Rider
Thor

Thor is an interesting example. A few years ago, Warren Ellis rather pointedly stated that you can't keep publishing Thor just because you've always published Thor if there isn't really enough interest in the character to justify sales. (also something about a horse from space) Then the title was canceled and the titular hero literally vanished from Marvel comics.

However, in July, the number one book on the stands was, well, Thor! Over 160,000 copies sold to retailers, which beats out Marvel's own much hyped World War Hulkand Death of Captain America miniseries.

Now, there's a few factors that go into that. The return of Thor was a delayed plot point from the mega-popular Civil War and Marvel put J. Michael Straczynski, one of their absolute most popular writers, on the book, so it's unlikely the book will keep half of that initial audience, still, that's an impressive number and a lot of the book's strength was based on fond memories of the character. So you can see why Marvel keeps going back to that well, even if it often runs dry.

But look at those lists again and think about what's NOT there, the outliers, the books starring new characters like Blue Beetle, the books with more diverse characters, like Black Panther the books with quirkier tones, like She-Hulk, or books with more unusual set ups, like The Brave and the Bold. Yeah, it's some of the bestselling comics on the stands right now, but it's not necessarily the innovative books or the most critically acclaimed.

The day is coming, and coming soon, when DC and Marvel make the transition from the magazine publishers they were to the book publishers they need to be. When the majority of your illustrated superhero stories will be found in novel length forms sold more in general interest book stores than increasingly exclusionary specialty shops. And when that day comes, the question is going to be, "whither the outliers?"

Take Manhunter, for example, DC critically acclaimed, fan favorite series with truly abysmal sales. DC has managed to eek out thirty issues of the series which add some great new characters to the DC universe and add some interesting depth to some old ones. And that in turn has produced three trades now which have sold well enough to kind of sort of keep the series going.

But... could DC have published the series if they didn't introduce the character in her monthly series first? Or to turn it around, would you have bought the first trade if it was sold as an original graphic novel? Would you have spent $13 to read about a totally new character taking on the identity of an old, d-list character, written by newish writer? On the other hand, would you spend $3 to try a new character out?

Yes, the move from magazines to books will be good for comics in general, both in terms of art and business, but I'm not sure it will be good for ongoing superhero comics. It feels to me that the move will limit the ability to sell new ideas to an audience already resistant to change. More expensive books sold at higher price points might discourage publishers from taking a chance on new writers, new artists, new characters, and new formats altogether when it's easier to sell books that are just like the ones the fans have already bought.

It's not like this isn't a problem already, but I worry that without the relatively cheap format of comic pamphlets to try out new creations, nothing new will come out of the "House of Ideas" and Marvel will just be feeling Thor for a long long time.

Powers Do Not Equal Personality

2007-08-29T16:09:00.000-04:00

There’s an old game fans love to play while sitting around, dreaming of the day they get to write the adventures of their favorite superheroes: “Who’s in your Justice League?” The rules are simple, create a list of roughly seven to twelve characters who you’d want to see month after month saving the world from, say, Despero.

You see different strategies employed, from the Big Seven (only characters capable of supporting their own book… oh, and the Martian Manhunter) to the Heavy Hitters (if you can’t bench-press a tank, you can’t join), to the Professionals (characters who don’t have their own book, who can devote their full time to the team) to the Personal Favorites (say it with me now, “Geo-Force?”). And you see some old arguments pop up, like whether Batman would join the team or if Aquaman is ever useful.

But there’s one team creation strategy that baffles me. The belief that a Justice League team needs to have a Flash, needs to have a Green Lantern. That Superman and Captain Marvel shouldn’t both be on the team because their powers are too similar, and Firestorm and Captain Atom can’t both join because they would “over lap”.

It’s the belief that superpowers are the definition of a superhero’s character, and that a team composed of diverse powers is interesting, and a team with similar powers is not.

That’s just ludicrous.

I mean, it certainly doesn’t make sense from a story perspective. If you’ve got four guys with omnipotent magic wishing rings, why not bring all of them? When Batman took out Brother Eye in Infinite Crisis #6, he brought Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Green Lantern John Stewart. Why? Because Batman’s not an idiot.

But more the point of literary criticism, it doesn’t make sense from a storytelling perspective either. Superheroes’ powers don’t dictate their behavior. Sure, if you’ve got claws and super healing, you’re probably cutting people and getting beat up a lot, but isn’t that why Beast is much more interesting? Because his intellectual persona runs counter to his feral appearance and abilities? So, just because two characters have the same abilities doesn’t mean they have the same personality or that they would act the same in a team dynamic.

Think how different Grant Morrison’s run on JLA would be if, instead of artist and novice superhero Kyle Rayner, Morrison had used macho jackass Guy Gardner as the Green Lantern on the team. Instead of a nice P.O.V. character in over his head and out to prove himself worthy, you’d have an argumentative jerk who’d balk at Superman’s every order and repeatedly moon Batman (I didn’t say it would be a worse book, just different).

Or take the current line-up of the Teen Titans. Supergirl, Wonder Girl, and Miss Martian have very similar powers—super strength, speed, flight—but they don’t fulfill the same function on the team. Supergirl is trying, finally, to live up to the example of her cousin and be a role model hero. Wonder Girl, on the other hand, has developed a violent rebellious streak and become a destabilizing element. And Miss Martian tries to play peacemaker but is naïve and bumbling in her attempts.

In short, they’ve become the Power Puff Girls.* And that’s a good thing, because it’s in their personality differences that the story lies.

Superpowers are not what make characters interesting. How characters react to having superpowers is what makes them interesting. A team where everyone has a different power but they all act the same (like the Silver-Age Justice League or X-Force) is boring. A team where everyone has the same power but acts completely different is fascinating.

So the next time you’re creating your fantasy team, don’t think “I need a runner, a fighter, a magician, and a flyer” like it’s a D&D game. Think “Who’s the leader, who’s the instigator, who’s the peacemaker? Who’s new? Who’s old? Who wants to do more? Who wants to do less? Who’s proud to be there? Who’s about to quit? And who’s holding it all together?” Because it’s in how these characters are different, different as characters, that makes the team worth reading about.

*Yes, Supergirl also has heat vision and Miss Martian can shapeshift, but that’s like how Blossom has ice breath and Bubbles can speak Spanish.

Multiple Choice Question

2007-08-03T00:03:00.000-04:00

I think it's pretty clear that I loves The Question. I even like the new Question.

It's a great character design (from Steve Ditko, who made a career of great character designs) and The Question, a.k.a., Vic Sage, is a compelling personality, a crusader for absolute truth.

And it is as a fan of the character that I'm bothered by comments like this:

Poor Question. Right when Timm, Dini, and company made you popular, DC has the foresight to kill you off and replace you.

Luke's implication that there can be no more comics featuring the Vic Sage Question is patently false, because the post he's commenting on is about a comic that came out THIS WEEK. In fact, it was in Justice League Unlimited, the comic that's specifically designed to capitalize on the success of "Timm, Dini, and Company". So he's getting exactly what he wants.

But of course he's not happy getting a new Vic Sage story. He wants a new Vic Sage story "in continuity," so that it "really happens." Well, Luke, I've got some bad news for you...

It's all fictional. The Vic Sage that died in 52 is no more real than the Vic Sage fighting space yetis on comics shelves RIGHT NOW!

And that's the wonder of these characters, they're flexible and you can tell many stories with them, AT THE SAME TIME. Don't like Judd Winick's Trials of Shazam? Try Jeff Smith's Monster Society of Evil. Don't like Richard Donner and Geoff Johns' Superman? Try Busiek's. Or Morrison's. Or...

These are not real people. They're characters and it takes a lot more than death to stop them. DC can still publish a Vic Sage Question series, and he could be Bruce Timm's paranoid theorist, or Denny O'Neil's kung fu master, OR Steve Ditko's objectivist vigilante. Take your pick, it's a wide open multiverse out there. In fact, Vic Sage wouldn't even need to fit into any previous continuity. After all, continuity isn't a real "reality" for him to fit into anyway.

I think he'd kind of like that idea.

Monday Morning Macking: World-Wide Edition

2007-07-16T10:42:00.000-04:00

Sorry about last week. We're back on track today.

So, if you're going to get your mack on, there are some universal guidelines you should follow. And to help me demonstrate those rules, I've enlisted the aid of someone who's actually seen the universe, Ego, the Living Planet!

... what was that? ...Oh.

I mean, Ego, the Loving Planet.

Let's get to work:

Step One: Introduce Yourself

This is undoubtedly the hardest step, but also the most important, so take notes.

First, notice that Ego doesn't launch right into the introduction. He starts by explaining himself, slipping in a flattering compliment for planet Earth.

Second, Ego keeps it simple, right to the point. No games, no reservations, doesn't hold anything back. Just a "I'm attracted to you" and a "get to know me."

Step Two: Sell Yourself

For the more modest among you, this might seem difficult. You know you have good qualities but you don't want to brag or look vain.

Again, Ego shows the way. He leads with a supposed criticism of himself, that he's a "playa", but it's strawman, there only to justify his boast of commitment. "I would never just tell you how great I am," he seems to say, "but because of those people attacking me, I need to defend myself."

Step Three: Bad Mouth the Competition

DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! You are not the only fish in the sea. Your intended has many choices out there, and you can stand out by making yourself look good, or making them look bad. Do BOTH, because, believe me my friend, they are!

Step Four: Be Understanding

Nobody you meet is going to be perfect. There's going to be some flaw. Don't let that stop you or you'll never get anywhere! If there's baggage, history, issues, or any static, just let it ride, and roll off you. It ain't no thing!

So, class, I hope you learned something, and have something to share as well.

Peace Out!

You ugly? Don't let that stop you! Even half a kisser is enough!

Know why? Because there's more to lovin' than just looks!

Mom's Not Going to Like This

2007-07-13T13:11:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, you just have to smack a dentist in the head:

All in service to Bahlactus

Justice Society of Degrassi

2007-07-13T11:37:00.000-04:00

And now a scene from Justice Society of America #7, with added Thought Balloons!

POWER GIRL: Mmm, mmm, unbreakable man meat!

MR. TERRIFIC: God, Power Girl, it's "the National anthem." "National." What planet are you from, anyway?

DR. MID-NITE: Must... touch... mustNOTtouch... must... touch... mustNOTtouch...

CITIZEN STEEL: A fin? Why'd they have to give me a fin? I'm such a dork.

"It's Wednesday, After All!"

2007-07-11T18:44:00.000-04:00

I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed Justice Society #7, but I guess I shouldn't have been.

Justice Society has always been Geoff Johns's best book, and this, the first issue that wasn't the kick-off "Let's get the band back together!" storyline, or the good parts of the otherwise unreadable "Lightning Saga" crossover, shows off his greatest strength, action scenes with emotional payoffs.

In this stand alone story, Johns creates the anti-Penance in the new Citizen Steel, taking an overly melodramatic character and turning him into something uplifting.

First, Johns gave Steel the absolute worst, most emo origin ever: Nate Heywood was a crippled former football star who watched his family slaughtered by Nazis and was puked on by one, which is why he is now a metal man incapable of feeling. Yowza, if you're going to go that way, why not listen to Death Cab and get a MySpace Haircut while you're at it?

But by the end of the issue, Nate is a reluctant superhero and the protector of orphaned children, something a lot closer to Jack Kirby and Joe Simon's great shield slinging hero, The Guardian.* That's a hero I can get behind, that's a man I can root for.

And it doesn't hurt that his journey from whiney loser to father figure is a fun adventure involving Power Girl actually acting like a team leader (making the plan, taking lead, watching out for her team, offering encouragement when needed, Black Canary take notes), some fantastic lines ("Fists are nature's problem solvers"), and the JSA beating the crap out of a ton of Nazis ("Boo to Nazis").

However, this is almost outshone by the utterly charming Starman/Superman sequence, which just is a perfect demonstration of why we love the Big Blue. Starman's been talking up his sanitarium's Sloppy Joes since issue #1, but Superman is the first person to actually sit down and share one with him. Add to that a mental health facility shown as an actual hospital and not a 19th Century insane asylum/prison, plus hints that the Zero Hour Legion of Superheroes (and XS) are still in continuity, and you've got a sequence that just left me all smiles.

Dale Eaglesham's art is also amazing. It's easy to talk about the "acting" he puts into the characters' faces and postures, or the earth shattering fight, but I loved just the little stuff he threw in: Hawkman wearing his helmet under a welding mask, Superman quietly drinking his milk after Starman tells him it'll make his bones stronger, the way Dr. Mid-Nite's owl watches Steel at all times, even when the Doctor himself is distracted. I also love how Eaglesham models Superman on his namesake, Clark Gable (most noticeable on page 8).

It was just a fun comic, a story in and of itself, that nonetheless got me interested in reading the next issue. How cool is that?All I need to do now is wait for Rachelle "Irate Canadian Lass" Goguen to post the "It's Wednesday, After All!" panel, if only to steal it for future reviews!

*What other guy?

... And Out the Other Side

2007-07-11T11:08:00.000-04:00

What a long strange trip that was...

Sorry about that. One long week in DC and suddenly out of posts, meaning I missed a few news stories and a few memes, including my own Monday Morning Macking (for those of you who posted in understandable expectation, I'll link to you next Monday).

For now, I'd like to talk about Action Comics #851, the Phantom Zone issue, in glorious 3-D!

Now, I'm a comics reader, not a collector, so usually gimmicks don't do it for me. But there's something about 3-D, with the goofy cardboard glasses and promises of action leaping off the page, that has a nostalgic charm for me, like something out of the '50s.

And for Action #851, it worked. It worked because they limited it to the Phantom Zone, where the disorienting effect of 3-D glasses reflected Superman's own altered state, as if we ourselves were drawn into another, twilight world. It worked because Richard Donner's phantom zone is full of planes rotating towards the reader, flat people turning in a three dimensional space, which is exactly the effect of 3-D. And it worked because after so long a wait, it was nice that the payoff had a little extra goose to it.

As for the story itself, I side with those that say, if only this book had come out on time, it would considered a Superman storyline to remember. I reread the issues leading up to this and the Annual (but not the fill-ins) and the story really moves and surprises.

Annual #10, LOTS of exposition and beautiful art, some of which ties directly into this storyline...

Issue #844, Kryptonian kid lands on Earth and Superman kidnaps him to save him from the government!

Issue #845, Superman tries to work with the government, but some underhanded dealings and a Bizarro rampage convince him to adopt the kid himself. Except he's actually the son of General Zod and Ursa!

Issue #846, Zod attacks, releasing an entire army of criminal Kryptonians and trapping Superman in the Phantom Zone!

Issue #851, While Zod's army runs roughshod over the Justice League and the kid starts fighting back, Superman has a heartbreaking encounter with a childhood friend, escapes from the Phantom Zone barely, and teams up with his deadliest enemies to take down over a thousand supermen!

That's some fun, exciting stuff. However, instead of coming out over the course of four months, it instead took almost nine. And that the next part won't be out until October at the earliest!

That's just frustrating! That's the kind of thing that drives people to the trades, where you know you're getting the end of the story the day you bought the beginning.

(For the most part.)

Gone the American Way

2007-07-03T11:09:00.000-04:00

I'm off to our nation's capital for Independence Day.

I just wanted to wish all a happy Fourth of July! Light a roman candle for me, and remember to never give up the never-ending battle for Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness!

Monday Morning Macking: Queer Eye Edition

2007-07-02T15:19:00.000-04:00

First up, a big ole' shout out to those of you who helped out with the first Monday Morning Macking! You guys are P. I. M. P.

Secondly, those of you who didn't get your shwerve on last week needs to get in the game! Maybe it's because you're happy just punching people:

But let's face it, if you're only joy in life is smacking around the elderly, someday things are just not going to go well and you're going to end up hurting your friends and family:

What you need is a good man in your life; someone to keep you sane, keep you sober:

And then you can be happy just being yourself:

So if you want to really make the world a better place, why don't you let your readers know how to put a little love in their lives.

oh, and get. It. ON.

The Fortress Keeper teaches that love may be blind, but romancin' is right on target!

Why You Should Be Reading Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis

2007-06-29T09:53:00.000-04:00

or: Friday Night Fights: Return of the King edition

The true warrior knows that he is never unarmed.

Though he may lack sword, and shield, and spear, a warrior always retains his hands and feet.

And teeth:

Yes, that's King Shark biting the face off of madman and consummate douchebag Black Manta.

Frankly, I'm surprised he didn't like the taste. I've always heard once you go black, you never go back.

p.s. If you enjoy starting your weekend with Friday Night Fights, you might also enjoy closing them with my own Monday Morning Macking. Make Love, AND War.

Jaw Dropping

2007-06-28T10:57:00.000-04:00

HO. LEE. CRAP.

I got some comics this week that just FLOORED me.

Okay, Amazons Attacks #3 kind of treaded water and The Boys #8 had nothing like the first page of The Boys #7. And the most shocking page of Wonder Woman #10 was the DC Nation page where Matt Idelson is still asking what to do about late books in a book that's two weeks late, edited by Matt Idelson. Nice.

But the OTHER books I got were fast moving books chock full of character and plot, that then socked me in the gut.

She-Hulk 19, the one with the amazing cover, not only has a brilliant and surprisingly action packed trial of the villainous Leader, it also features the long in the works resolution of the She-Hulk/Jen Walters duel identity issue that's been the under current since Dan Slott's first issue three years ago. But I wasn't prepared for that last page reveal, the final fate of Stu Cicero, the comic book nerd too smart for his own good. What horror!

And Blue Beetle #16 is a running battle between Eclipso and Traci 13, last seen in Azzarello and Chang's mindblowing Dr. 13 back-up, with Blue Beetle caught in the middle. From the groan inducing pun title to the surprise call back to 52 (Remember 52? The weekly series everyone liked?) to Eclipso refusing to take the blame for something its host body, Jean Loring, did, this title is a hoot and a half. So I was not prepared when Eclipso unleashed "the THE MONSTER WITHIN THE BLUE BEETLE". I just did not see that coming, yet it made so much sense.

But of course, the real shocker this week, and my hands down pick, was Green Lantern: Sinestro Corp Special. How good was this issue? Well let me put it to you this way: out of curiosity I picked it up to read in the store, and was so impressed that I felt I ought to buy it AND buy Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps, which I don't usually get, just because I HAVE TO KNOW what happens next.

And you know what, that's a great feeling. Well played, DC, well played.

It's a great jumping on book. Like I said, I haven't been reading any Green Lantern title, but I didn't need to because Geoff Johns has filled the book with expository dialogue. There is literally only one important character who isn't named and explained, and even he's introduced in the backstory.

And stuff happens! More stuff happens in one issue than Brad Meltzer's entire Justice League run. Seriously, a plot is investigated, a hero is captured and tortured, an immense army is discovered, Oa is attacked, villains (plural) escape, and the big bad behind it all is revealed, and it's not who you think (unless you're Diamondrock who called it some time ago).

And then there are those shocks. Yes, it's Johns's weakness to go to sudden, bloody violence, but damn if the attack on Oa didn't get real involving real quick, and the most disturbing moment was actually the least bloody, just many rings flying away to look for new Lanterns.

And the villains. Okay, some were given away in the ads, some were extremely guessable, but one or two I just did not see coming, or rather, coming so soon! Stuff happens in the book I thought would wait until the end of Countdown, but it happens here and I just don't know what's going to happen next. I really don't know how our heroes are going to get out of this one, particularly considering that last page spread, that grouping of monsters and gods, and just who is bowing to whom.

But the most surprising moment of all?

The acorn on page 36.

Scene From A Funeral

2007-06-27T12:31:00.000-04:00

[from the cover of Countdown #43, on sale in a week]

ROBIN: Okay, Wonder Girl, I've kept my eyes closed, what's the big surprise?

WONDER GIRL: Mmm, you smell so good.

R: I know.

WG: No, really. Really good. Strong.

R: It's Bat-Cologne. Now what's the surprise?

WG: Okay, open your eyes.

R: Oh. Oh god. Is, is that the Flash?

WG: Yes. Robin-- Tim. Bart is dead.

R: I know. They called me.

WG: They called you?

R: Well, ye--

WG: And they didn't call me?

R: You were busy. Fighting the Amazons. Or on the side of the Amazons. We weren't sure. How is that going, by the way?

WG: Don't change the subject. You knew?

R: Cassie, it happened two weeks ago. Jeez, look what they did to him. Burned and frozen and fried.

BEAST BOY: Yeah, but it was all the kicking that did it.

R: Oh hey Gar. Did you arrange this?

BB: Yeah...

R: Couldn't you have given him a closed casket funeral?

BB: ...

WG: Oh Tim! Another one of us is dead.

R: I know.

WG: First Superb--

BB: Shhh!

WG: I mean, Conner. Now Bart. Oh, why me?

R: Hey, I lost them too--

WG: But I loved them!

R: Are we really going to play this game?

WG: What game?

R: Whose life sucks more?

WG: You can't understand what I'm going through!

R: Are you sh**ing me? In the last few years, I've lost Bart, and Conner, and my FATHER, and my STEP-MOTHER, and my GIRLFRIEND, and my OTHER girlfriend, not to mention a whole CITY! What have you lost? You're a daughter of Zeus and a Wonder Woman-in-training: what do you care about us mortals?

BB: Tim, I understand. I lost my mother a few years ago...

R: Yeah? So did I, b****, but yours came back, didn't she?

BB: ..she might be crazy...

SPEEDY: I have A.I.D.S.

WG: Yes, we know.

S: No, guys, I mean, I have A.I.D.S. I'm dying. I'm going to be next.

R: Oh jeez, thanks. Like I wasn't depressed enough.

[Pause]

WG: Oh, I have an idea!

R: No.

WG: You didn't even let me tell you--

R: You want to bring Bart back from the dead.

WG: Well, why not?

BB: Because last time you tried to do that, you were brainwashed by a cult for a year and then later fell for a homicidal bizarro clone.

WG: But this time is different. THIS time we'll... we'll all hold up lighting rods! Yeah, and when the lightning hits our rods the energy will flow through us and give Bart back his life!

[Pause]

BB: Cassie, that is the f***ing stupidest idea I have ever heard.

WG: Can I help it if I want to do something? I'm losing friends left and right. Who will I lose next? What if it's Anita, or Greta? Oh my god, what if it's Cissie? Oh, how could I ever replace Arrowette?

S: Hey!

WG: Or when... A.I.D.S.-Lass here finally buys it, are we just going to let that happen too?

R: Cass, calm down.

WG: No, I will NOT calm down. You're right. I'm a goddess.

BB: Demi-goddess.

WG: I've been to Hell. I've punched Hades in the face. I have the power to do something about this and I WILL!

[WONDER GIRL flies away]

CYBORG'S CROTCH: That's not going to end well. Should we say something?

RAVEN'S CROTCH: Shhh! If we keep quiet, maybe they won't notice us.

Monday Morning Macking

2007-06-25T00:01:00.000-04:00

In the grand tradition of Friday Night Fights and Thursday Night Thinking, the Roar of Comics is proud to present:
MONDAY MORNING MACKING
We know you know how to lay out a beating. We know you know how to lay out a scheme. But how are you at laying out... the charm?

Do you come across too weak?

Do you come on too strong?

Superheroes can help! For over seventy years, men and women in tights have been teaching young Americans the ancient art of seduction,* and I'm looking to YOU, my readers, to post the best panels of your heroes getting the girl, getting the guy, getting jiggy, and most importantly, getting. It. ON.

And just to prove that there is hope for everyone, let's say you are, I don't know, a hideous rock monster who was once a man.

Are you doomed to be forever shunned by gentle companionship due to your deformed nature?

NO!

Even you, Ben Grimm, you ugly Thing you, can get.

It.

ON.

If this couch is a rockin', don't come a'knockin'!

So come one, come all! Don't Playa' Hate!

PARTICIPATE!

Filby shows how a real pimp takes control and makes LOVE, not war!

Johnny Zito remembers that if you can't be with the one you want, there are other fish in the sea!

The Fortress Keeper doubles your pleasure, doubles your fun and reminds you they call him MISTER Fantastic!

*What do you mean, "That's not what Seduction of the Innocent is about"?

RUMBLE!

2007-06-22T10:29:00.000-04:00

Bahlactus calls. We answer. He wants the very best in superhero violence, I give him battle to rock the cosmos!

In this corner, a man whose heartbeat is a thousand Hiroshimas, whose blood is the universal solvent, whose very stare drives all but the purest mad, the King Angel of the Bull Host of Heaven, ASMODEL!

And in this corner, he's faster than a speeding bullet, he's more powerful than a locomotive, he looks great in a tight blue suit. You know him. You love him, It's the Metropolis Kid, the Man of Tomorrow, the Real Steel Deal, SUPERMAN!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

LET'S GET READY TO

RUMBLE!

And the crowd goes wild!

Characters I'd Like to See in Dwayne McDuffie's New Justice League

2007-06-22T00:17:00.001-04:00

Superman

Batman

Wonder Woman

Green Lantern (John Stewart, of course)

The Flash (Wally West, I guess...)

The Martian Manhunter (old look, please)

Hawkgirl (I'm a JLU fan, so sue me)

plus...

Aquaman (the new one, actually, He's a fun character)

Firestorm

The All-New Atom

Static (52 Universes. You telling me he's not in one of them?)

Black Canary

Fire and Ice

Green Lantern (Guy Gardner. Seriously, he adds personality to the team)

Plastic Man (see above)

Zatanna

Mr. Miracle (Shilo Norman)

Shining Knight (Ystin)

(oh screw it,)

Manhattan Guardian, Klarion, Bulleteer, and FRANKENSTEIN! too

The ghosts of Ralph and Sue Dibny

The Blue Beetle (though he should turn them down, considering they left him in space for a year!)

Zauriel

Red Tornado (shut up. I like him)

Oracle

Prince (Yes, Prince. Seriously, he's like Batman, but short and purple)

Live Fast...

2007-06-20T15:46:00.000-04:00

There's not much to say about today's "big news" beyond what Graeme McMillan says at the Savage Critics, but there was one thing I wanted to add. But even I think that talking about the "shocking" events in a comics that came out today deserves a SPOILERS warning and jump cut, so here it is:

SPOILERS!

Flash: the Fastest Man Alive #13 features the death of Bart Allen, a.k.a. the Flash, a.k.a. Impulse, and it's pretty unenjoyable, for all the reasons Graeme mentions: all the announcements this weekend about fake-out solicitations and relaunching the book made it pretty clear that Bart was not making it to the end of this book, making his death feel inevitable rather than surprising, and ending with his death makes the 12 previous issues seem pretty pointless.

All I wanted to add is that killing Impulse, of all characters, demonstrates that some people at DC just aren't interested in fun. Impulse was one of the more fun characters DC had. Thanks to a couple of accelerated bouts of aging, Bart may have looked like a teenager, but he was actually, roughly, six, and acted like it:

He saw the world in black and white morality, he thought in images not words, he wasn't that interested in girls, he had an incredibly short attention span, but he also truly loved his friends and family, when he wasn't annoying the hell out of them, and wanted to be a hero like his grandfather more than anything.

He could make you laugh, he could make you cry, and, occasionally, he could make you do both and save the universe at the same time. (Seriously, pick up Bart Saves the Universe for one of the cleverest and heart breaking time travel stories ever.)

I thought having him "grow up" in Teen Titans was a mistake that took away Bart's most charming feature, that he actually had difficulty taking superheroing seriously. Artificially aging him (again) into a whiny adult made him even less fun and further unrecognizable, and this made it all the more pointless. I mean, why seemingly kill Bart Allen in issue #4 of Infinite Crisis, only to bring him back in issue #7, if they just kill him again a little more than a year later? Couldn't he have stayed dead the first time?

Instead of just seeing Bart go out like a champ, taking out a monstrously powerful opponent, surrounded by his friends and family, we have to watch all the fun sucked out of him for a year before witnessing yet another member of Young Justice beaten to death for saving the world (Empress better watch her back, all I'm saying).

It's like they* weren't killing Bart Allen but the concept of fun itself: like the point of the story is that superheroes can't be kids pretending to be adults, saving the world with a laugh and occasionally learning lessons. No, superheroes have to be humorless mopes who are afraid of their own powers. And then they die.

*Not that I know who "they" are. I doubt it was issue scribe Mark Guggenheim, who was only recently added to the title. Dan Didio's interviews indicates that DC Editorial had planned on killing Bart Allen for a year now, so whose idea was it back then to have a humorless mini-series ending in Bart's death? Geoff Johns, who aged Bart and made Wally disappear? (apparently not) Mark Waid, who knew he was returning to The Flash, but for some reason didn't want to write Bart Allen, his own creation? or Dan "Enemy of Fun" Didio, who personally wants to ruin your childhood?

Don't I Know You From Somewhere?

2007-06-19T14:37:00.000-04:00

John from Cincinnati, HBO's replacement series for The Sopranos, from Deadwood creator David Milch, is about an enigmatic, detached stranger (who claims "the end is near") and the family of surfers he joins.

But, who is John, asks the show. Is he an alien? Is he Jesus? Is he both?

I mean, is he... this guy?

Slashy Goodness

2007-06-18T10:12:00.000-04:00

52 made official what Captian Atom: Armageddon implied: the Wildstorm Universe is now an official component of the DC Multiverse, similar to the Charlton Universe (the Question and Blue Beetle), the Quality Universe (Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters) and the Whiz Universe (SHAZAM!).

And our first exploration of that idea comes in September, in COUNTDOWN PRESENTS THE SEARCH FOR RAY PALMER: WILDSTORM #1, with a cover that gives me no end of glee:

I don't know if you can tell from the sketchy cover, but that's DC Comics heroes Kyle Rayner, Donna Troy, and Jason Todd standing over reflections of Wildstorm heroes Apollo, Engineer, and Midnighter. Which reminds me a lot of this cover for JLA: Earth 2:

In the Earth 2 cover, the reflections are not merely other heroes but literally alternate versions of the same character, (i.e. Superman is standing over Ultraman, who IS Superman, but evil). And that almost works for the CPSRP:W cover as well (gosh, that's a long title).

Jason Todd is a homicidal, nigh-immortal version of Batman, and if anyone is an overpowered pretty boy doofus, it's Kyle.*

I think most people see where this is going, but let me take it to its natural conclusion.

Arthur Adams, the cover artist, could have picked other characters to reflect Jason and Kyle, perhaps someone from Gen 13 or W.I.L.D.Cats, but he didn't. No, he picked the two characters who are totally gay for each other.

Does this mean what I think it could mean? Could Kyle finally give in to the love that dare not speak his name? Is it time for him to have a boyfriend who cannot be killed, no matter how many fans call in asking for him to die?

And would they move to Boston?

*Donna Troy to Engineer is a lot weaker, unless the Engineer has trouble reading history books without crying as well.

The Boys from Burbank

2007-06-17T08:24:00.000-04:00

Dwayne McDuffie to take over Justice League of America.

About goddamn time.

After the snoozefest that has been Brad Meltzer's run on the title, it will be good to have a writer who understands serialized plotting, how to do character bits and plot bits at the same time, and that the Justice League is a team of experienced world-savers, not the cool kids hanging out in the clubhouse.

I'm really excited about this, as McDuffie's run on JLA has the potential to be remembered with Morrison's. McDuffie just knows how to write superheroes, and since taking over Fantastic Four for Marvel, has shown how to make superheroes both relatable and yet still amazing.

I'm willing to believe that it's his time spent as a writer for Warner Bros. animation. Not that he wasn't a great writer before (Static was Milestone Comics's best book), but from 2000 to 2006 he was a writer for Static Shock then Justice League Unlimited, perhaps the best interpretation of the Justice League I have ever seen, and he seems to have brought some of that fun and excitement (and skill!) back with him to comics.

Come to think of it, so has Paul Dini on Detective Comics and Darwyn Cooke on The Spirit. Guys who were good enough to be paid animation money for their work also seem to have gone through a superhero writing boot camp and come out sharper, brighter, and more entertaining for their time in Burbank.

Since Warner Bros. has shuttered their main animation studio in favor of cheaper product, it might be time for Didio and Quesada to just raid raid raid their roster of writers and artists and get them to bring their "A" game to comics.

I mean, in general I think ongoing comics are closer to TV shows than they are to novels, and it would be great to have writers who understand that an issue is an episode, not a chapter.

Why Don't They Just Put ME In Charge?

2007-06-14T16:59:00.000-04:00

Matt Idelson takes over the back page of every DC comic this week to ask the million dollar question, "what should an editor do when he runs into production delays?" He doesn't give the answer, of course, he just gives three options—delay the book, call-in a "guest" writer/artist, or drop in an inventory story—and leaves it up to "You, the Reader" to say what you'd prefer. Which feels A LOT like a post I did last September on the exact same topic.

While the response was hardly unanimous, there was a general consensus that fill-in issues were fine, as long as they happened between arcs, and a guest writer/penciler/inker was preferable to no comic at all. But the real problem was a lack of transparency, that fans would be better able to handle delays if they could just be told the why's and wherefore's of the delay.

Idelson, for the sake of context, is the editor on Wonder Woman, Superman and Action Comics, all of which were plagued with production delays for the past year. Based on the response I got, if I were in his shoes, I would have said that as beautiful as Carlos Pacheco's art is, people would rather not wait for it, and better to bring in a penciler who can hit deadlines than wow the crowd.

Which is the decision editor Peter Tomasi made on Detective Comics, where "regular penciler" J.H. Williams was off the book after one issue and Don Kramer's been knocking issues out month after month. And the sales numbers seem to back that up, where Detective has lost only 9% of its sales from the OYL boost, whereas Superman has lost 25%.

(Wonder Woman, which was even MORE delayed, has lost over 50% of its initial sales. There, the problem was apparently the writer, not the artist, which suggests Allen Heinberg should have been dropped sooner and another writer brought in to finish the arc. But, it should be pointed out, Wonder Woman is still selling twice as much now as it averaged during the Greg Rucka run.)

Meanwhile, across town, remember that that shocking revelation that will rock the Marvel Universe to its core?" Turns out it's Skrulls.

Yup, Marvel's shape changing alien conquerors are back, and if this is supposed to be as important as the hype tells us it is, then it means Skrulls are behind superhero on superhero violence of Civil War, and probably World War Hulk as well, which, as I said it would be, is neither shocking nor new: just another Psycho Changer being used to explain why Iron Man is suddenly such a dick.

So, instead of evolving Marvel comics, changing what their superheroes stories are or could be, they are apparently just going down the same road they always have, in which all the bad things in the world are the result of evil alien interference. Good job!

(Ironically, had they not HYPED the last page as a shocker, or said it was important, the fact that "Elektra" turns out to be a Skrull honestly would have been surprising and might, MIGHT have led to speculation that it had import outside of the New Avengers. But Marvel can't seem to let their surprises actually be surprises.)

GUNTHERFEST '07

2007-06-13T10:01:00.000-04:00

(Video not exactly safe for work)

The Roar of Comics is a proud participant of Güntherfest '07
Champagne, Glamour, Sex, Respect!

(For those of you who are confused, I give you this link. Not that it's going to relieve your confusion, but actually add to it).

(real post coming soon)

The Man with the Plan

2007-06-07T09:27:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, you need to fight.

But, if you're smart, you can avoid the fight altogether. And so, Diamondrock has decided to celebrate the thinking man, the intellectual, the schemer. The Man with a Plan.

A no man has a better plan than... uh... this guy:

That's just evil.

Kandor City Blues

2007-06-06T11:09:00.000-04:00

What's up with Kandor these days? Does anyone know?

It used to be simple*. Kandor was a Kryptonian city, shrunk down and collected by Brainiac before Krypton blew up, which Superman rescued and, unable to return its citizens to their rightful size, stored in his high tech Fortress of Solitude. Then came John Byrne, who, in a quest to make sure Kal-El was the last survivor of Krypton, dammit!, erased Kandor from continuity, along with Supergirl, Krypto, and others.

But, during the 1990s, as old ideas crept back in in new forms, Kandor was reintroduced as a bottle city full of supermen from diverse planets, none Kryptonian, collected by an alien wizard as weapons to use against his enemies. Again, Superman rescued the city and saved it in his fortress, but couldn't restore the city to its proper size. And that was alright.

And then came "Godfall". Or rather, Superman #200, where Superman falls into a different timeline, effectively erasing Byrne's continuity. (Hey, live by the reboot, die by the reboot.) Or rather, a slightly different timeline, so that some stories, like Doomsday, were still in continuity, but some, like apparently the mullet he wore for three years after he came back, are not.

And the first sign of this was "Godfall," which took place in a bottled city of Kandor that had Kryptonians, AND non-Kryptonians, AND had been shrunk by Brainiac, AND worshipped Superman as a savior who had possibly abandoned them. What?! How did that happen? The Supergirl storyline where she becomes the protector of Kandor didn't clear anything up either!

Here's the thing: I don't care that one version of Kandor's history has been replaced with another ("Forget it, Jake. It's Hypertime.") I just don't like the fact that writers continue to use Kandor as a place we're supposed recognize (as recently as 52) and yet it's clearly not the place we were introduced to in Action Comics 242 nor the one we met in Action Comics 725. It has the same name and shares major features, but it has a history that is completely unknown. It just lacks exposition, and that's frustrating.

And why I care is because Kandor is a really interesting playground. Bottle cities are amazing bits of fantasy (and if you don't agree, watch The Matrix again). The idea that you can live your entire life in a city, full of people with complicated lives, yet really be trapped, is an amazing bit of metaphor. I like the irony that Brainiac was in some way right to preserve a city, saving a major chuck of Kryptonian science and culture, not to mention Kryptonians, from the annihilation of their planet. And of course, tiny Supermen is just cool.

Not that there aren't problems with the concept. As the plot of "Godfall" is predicated on, Kandor tends to get forgotten. Despite the fact that his inability to restore Kandor is supposed to prey on Superman's mind, he doesn't actually spend that much time trying to fix the problem, leaving a bunch of tiny aliens to rot. And it's hard to believe that, on a planet with Ray Palmer, Professor Zuel, and occasionally Brainiac himself (or his morally upstanding descendent, 12th level intellect Brainiac 5), it's actually that hard a problem to solve.

Nevertheless, Kandor is fun, and I think could be used to better effect if we just knew what the hell it really was.

*Okay, relatively simple.

Blue Superman

2007-06-05T06:17:00.000-04:00

I could not, would not, in JLA.

I will not, will not, with the Ray.

I will not read him in a plane.

I will not read him with Bruce Wayne.

Not with giants!

Not very small!

Not as a chick!

No not at all!

I do not like him fighting Lex.

I do not like him, nor his specs.

I will not read him in the sky.

I do not like him with... this guy.

I do not like him red and blue.

I do not like him. WHY WOULD YOU?!

I do not like Blue Superman!

I do not like him, Sam-I-am.

(with a hat tip to Shane Bailey and apologies to Dr. Seuss)

It Had to be Said #6

2007-06-04T17:06:00.000-04:00

Authorial intent is meaningless.

It really doesn't matter what a writer or artist (or editor) intended to say with any given piece of art (or, in our case, comic). What matters is what they actually say, and that is determined by the audience.

Lobo's a good example. He was intended as a satire of the ultra-violent superhero (Wolverine, specifically) but was read by an audience that took him totally seriously, to the point where he written seriously and became that which he was meant to mock.

And going in the reverse direction, All-Star Batman and Robin may be intended to be taken seriously, but is so gloriously over-the-top that many people love it as a parody (perhaps of itself, but a parody nonetheless).

This is complicated by the fact that art does not exist in a vacuum nor is "the audience" a monolithic entity. "The audience" is thousands of individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, and contexts for understanding. So each person interprets a work differently, and the meaning of a piece is fluid across people. Something I read as a celebration of female power, another might read as a dismissal of a woman's worth. And neither of us are necessarily wrong.

And a work's meaning changes over time, too, as new events reshape interpretations. The first issues of Watchmen, for example, were published before the Iran-Contra scandal broke. So while Moore and Gibbons' story of abused, hubristic authority could not have been intended to comment on the (then) current administration's illegal activities, by the twelfth issue it most certainly did! (Especially since the Tower Commission opened their report with "quis custodiet ipsos custodes," i.e. "who watches the watchmen?")

Which is a long way of saying, you can't defend your art by saying "This is what I meant to say" or "I didn't mean to offend anyone". Once your art is out among the public, you are just one more interpreter, and have no more or less authority than anyone else. If someone says your work is offensive, then it IS offensive, at least to them, and you cannot just say they are wrong. All you can do is decide whether or not you care.

The Tragedy...

2007-06-01T16:46:00.000-04:00

...of Robin-on-Robin violence.

All in service to Bahlactus.

The Many Faces of Batman

2007-06-01T16:02:00.001-04:00

One of the many things I love about superheroes is how versatile they are. They are multifaceted, slipping easily from one story type to another while retaining their inner core. Just look at the many faces of Batman.

Batman the Detective: Sherlock Holmes in a funnier hat, Batman can be the genius detective Commissioner Gordon calls in when the crime is too brilliant or bizarre for the average investigators on the police. This is the Batman that loves gathering mud at crime scenes and running it under a microscope.

Batman the Vigilante: Batman can also be the untouchable crusader who takes on the criminals the cops won't investigate, the powerful, the connected, the rich. This Batman threatens corrupt politicians in their very bedrooms.

Batman the Spy: James Bond in a cape, Batman uses his stealth, disguises, and sophisticated gadgets to sneak high security bases and sabotage weapons of mass destruction. This Batman gets his kicks hijacking enemy communication technology to his advantage.

Batman the Adventurer: Batman travels the globe, charges in to right wrongs and saves damsels in distress. And there's nothing he loves more than swinging in on his bat-rope.

Batman the Horror: Batman sometimes scares the hell out of his enemies. He stalks them like the killer in a slasher film, striking from the shadows and picking them off, one by one. Greatest pleasure: leaving one behind, knocked out and tied up, for the rest of his enemies to find.

Batman the Asskicker: And sometimes he drops all subterfuge and just beats the holy hell out of the bad guys. Whether using Asian martial arts, old fashioned fisticuffs, or hitting criminals with other criminals, sometimes Batman is just about hurting people.

and finally,

Batman the Superhero: The Batman in the Justice League, who fights colorful, gimmicky supervillains, trains apprentices, occasionally goes to other planets and fights aliens and dinosaurs and robots and shape shifting mud puddles, THAT Batman isn't any of the ones above, and yet he's all of them.

Which is what's so great. You can tell almost any story with Batman, and still he remains, at his core, Batman.

I Should Let This Go

2007-05-31T16:58:00.000-04:00

Especially since the trolls have come out to play, but one or two things caught my attention about the Heroes for Hire cover.

The first is that some people seem to forget that a comic book cover is the first, last, and best advertisement for the comic within, especially for new readers. As such, the image that appears on the cover not only communicates what happens in a given story but also why a reader would want to read it. Which is why this cover is much more objectionable than a similar image would be if it appeared only within the book. Within the book, the image would suggest that a rape, horrible and cruel, might occur. As a cover, the image communicates that raped superheroines are something attractive to see, and that the value of female superheroes is entirely their sexuality.

Secondly was something I saw in the Beat:

Heroes for Hire... these sales are little short of atrocious.

This raises, in passing, the controversial topic of the cover for issue #13. There seems to a common assumption, both among publishers and among their detractors, that T&A sells comics. I wonder whether that’s really true. HEROES FOR HIRE has been distinguished by prominent cheesecake art from day one, and just look at its sales. The bad girl genre is virtually dead. MIGHTY AVENGERS, with Frank Cho’s art, is doing no better than NEW AVENGERS with Leinil Francis Yu - in fact, it’s actually the lowest selling of the three Avengers titles, although not by much. And when did you ever see Greg Horn’s covers on a high-selling title?

If this sort of thing is genuinely so popular, why doesn’t it sell better? Could it be that in fact, the audience for T&A comics (or at least comics which are quite so blatant about it) is actually quite small, and that chasing them is a waste of time on commercial grounds alone?

God, I hope so. I hope that treating female characters as more than just sex objects and saying that women can be heroes without needing to be wank material for men is also in line with better business practices.

And finally, I wanted to say kudos to Jason DeAngelis, President of Seven Seas publishing. Not specifically for canceling Nymphet per se, but for listening to the objections his fans and retailers had, re-examining the content he was planning on publishing, evaluating the audience he was planning on publishing to, and then taking full responsibility in an open letter. Things he did NOT do include deny that there was anything objectionable at all, hide behind the female creator of the sexist art, or explain that what we would find offensive in America is perfectly acceptable in Japan, as some other editor in chief did.

Catching Up

2007-05-30T12:38:00.000-04:00

Sorry about that. I didn't actually intend to leave pseudo-pseudapod porn up for a week, but I left for my sister's wedding this weekend and found blogging in California surprisingly difficult.

So what did I miss?

Okay, so no one was exactly surprised that Joe Quesada's defense of the indefensible Heroes for Hire cover was a one-two punch of denial: "I don't see any rape here, so clearly there can be no rape here" and "A woman drew this picture, so how could it possibly be sexist?" As everyone else has pointed out, it doesn't matter how art is intended, it matters how art is read, and enough people have read that image as rape that Marvel needs to address the issue with something more that a "You're wrong! Now shut up and go away!"

Also, the defense that the objectifying aspect of the cover is necessitated by the plot falls apart fairly quickly once Lea Henandez demonstrates that, with relatively minor alterations (more assertive facial expressions, zip up Colleen's suit, remove the slime on Black Cat's breast), the Heroes for Hire can be tied up and menaced by slimy tentacles and still be portrayed as the "strong, lead female protagonists who kick major ass" Quesada seems to think we've forgotten they are.

It would be nice if Marvel actually made similar adjustments to the cover. They are not completely insensitive to cries of questionable content. When retailers objected to surprise Spider-Dingus in Spider-Man: Reign, Marvel took returns and offered a less objectionable variant edition. Perhaps if enough retailers, like Mike Sterling, explain to Diamond Distributors and Marvel that they'd be more comfortable stocking a less, um, rape-y cover, Marvel would actually take the time they have to produce a cover that won't actively offend a large portion of the comics reading audience.

Or am I pipe dreaming, because selling the rape of super-heroines isn't nearly as offensive to the average fan as a small sketch of a penis in a "Mature Readers" book?

On to other, happier matter:

I've been thinking for awhile that, now that the Vertigo imprint's biggest titles are no longer tied even tangentially to the DC Universe, it's time for the DC characters who helped launch the major mature comics publisher to "come home," especially Swamp Thing. It's just a shame Chris posted about it first.

Shane Bailey might be too modest to link to it in Blog@Newsarama, but his ode to the Hulk demands linkage and response.

Yes, I'm just as happy as everyone else that Supergirl is going to be written and drawn as a teen girl and not a tarted-up nymphet wearing a frilly belt, half a shirt, and no internal organs. Now comes the hard part: assuming the book's any good, you have to buy and get other people to buy the portrayal of Supergirl that we as a comics community demanded. If the sales tank, DC's marketing is going to learn the wrong lesson, and we'll see a lot less Birds of Prey and a lot more, well, Heroes for Hire.

Speaking of Nymphet... you know what? I'd rather not. Someone else can handle this one.

and finally:

Someone celebrated an anniversary! (image by Kevin)