#clark is tolerable in the Superman animated series

[comickergirl]

(Person running the superfamilyweek here, I'm so glad you are enjoying my ask game! I love your art ❤️)

🐕, 👽and ✨️?

Oh, awesome! Thanks so much for putting it together, the questions are great! Having a lot of fun answering them. :)

Speaking of!

✨ : What was the first superfam-related media you consumed?

A literal and figurative square (affectionate)

👽 : Favourite villain

Answered!

Don't have art prepared for the third one yet, hopefully I can get to it later!

[mdhwrites]

My Adventures With Superman Episode 5 Review: You Will Believe a Man Can Be Concerned

Short Thoughts: This episode is the most rushed so far in the series, with a pacing issue of moving slow at the beginning and thus having to cram EVERYTHING into its last five minutes to have the darkest hour it wants. The stuff with Jimmy is too pointed to be funny and only has one real moment of feeling like it pays off, as well as the setup going nowhere like the journalism setup of last episode, and the stuff with Clark and Lois... Well, it’s good, the conclusion of the episode is the conflict their character types should be having and is turning the jokes and growth they’ve had over the past couple episodes into drama but again: Pacing. It all moves so... So very quickly. It frankly reminds me of thoughts I keep having about shows where I love the fluff and the episodic stuff but fear how well the writers can handle angst and plot. This episode shows promise in those things but if they can’t learn to let it breathe... We’ll see.

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I... don’t know how complicated my thoughts are on this episode. I think one of the best ways I can start with this is to mention the description on HBO Max. That while Lois is hunting down a secret in Metropolis, Superman tracks down the stolen tech to find out he’s in the sights of Task Force X.

This... doesn’t mention that Jimmy takes up about a quarter to a third of this episode doing almost nothing. It also name drops Task Force X, something that DOESN’T HAPPEN IN THE EPISODE. How can it? They show up for the pre-title stinger and then don’t show up for like 80% of the episode. Then they fight Supes, show off that Slade has some sick tech and is only going to get stronger, tease the overall plot and then fuck off after a good humanizing moment for their leader.

In like two-three minutes. That’s... Rough. To put it mildly. It’s not even a terrible fight. Not great, kind of lacking character and flavor, but it’s not a bad fight and the resolution is good. That’s the thing that makes talking about this episode rough. The characters are the same, good characters they have been. The animation is still mostly solid. The writing...

Well, that one I go up and down on. I ADORE the comedy of how bad Clark is at hiding who he is. How obvious his strength is once you start looking for it. Clark and Lois’ sequence against the goons is nice and silly and seeing how far Lois has already come from the girl who probably would have wanted the answer for her scoop versus the girl who wants the info because she cares is good.

And... That’s a lot of where my praise ends for the episode. The Steve and Jimmy stuff feels agonizingly drawn out. Jimmy didn’t need a mentor to straight up point shit out to us with. They could have had his three-five minutes in the intro, ended with him trying to remind them about what they were doing, kept showing a clock as a transition and then cut to nine o’ clock and Jimmy all alone at the bus stop before heading out to do this. Instead... They kind of do it like they’re not an animated series.

I’m not really joking here. The emphasis on dialogue pointing out what is going on is more tolerable in books because if you don’t put the words on the page, it can be a bad time for the audience. Of course, there is a breaking point and this goes WAY past that. This is just bad exposition, not helped by the fact that it’s being given by an annoying character we have not spent NEARLY enough time with to even realize his group could have a ‘Steve’. Yes, he’s a part of a trio but they all have their own roles on the paper that do not intersect that much so why should we have assumed their dynamic genuinely was the same?

Worse yet, the only justification for this would have been the stuff about Steve wanting to dunk on Flamebird but that goes nowhere. It’s not part of Jimmy’s motivation to go alone, it has nothing to do with his relationship with Clark or Lois, it’s just... There. Much like how Jimmy seeming like he might get the story because of his friendlier, less confrontational approach went nowhere in the previous episode. There it felt okay because I felt like I was putting my own desires onto the show. This time though? This shit is supposed to be important and it’s not funny and it’s not interesting. And it drags on for TOO. FUCKING. LONG. Cut a minute of Steve and give that to the actual important shit that matters to both plot and character.

Because the whole Task Force X portion? Feels like an extended vision frankly. “Look, we’re here, we’re probably important, you can gleam a couple things from it and PEACE!” It’s better than the visions because we effectively get some real answers and the commander is interesting in keeping to the idea they’re there for humanity but that’s about all the nice things I can say about it. It feels much more like a teaser than the actual resolution of an episode.

And that makes the ending just feel all the worse. Like I said earlier, this conflict between Lois and Clark is befitting for their character types and the friction they’ve had so far but it’s so over the top, so dramatic without entirely earning it or giving it some time to breathe. They both have good points but neither has any interest in listening to the other and so we get the dramatic third act break up...

Which isn’t going to last because saving Jimmy is the next episode and he’ll likely learn the secret then as he yells at the two about being abandoned and left out and keeping secrets, from both of them, and then they’ll be sympatico. And being able to see that coming makes me not that excited for an episode of these characters just being mad at each other. I don’t mind angst, and some angst was always going to happen here, I just wish it didn’t feel... Hollow.

Which frankly comes from the pacing I think. The fact that we’re going to only spend twenty minutes about this angst and that the angst feels in character but not super well written, ESPECIALLY with Jimmy. Frankly, between this episode and last, I’m getting worried about how Jimmy will be written in general. I don’t want him to constantly feel like he’s just taking time away from what the show cares about. I may be a shipper but I want our main supporting member to ACTUALLY SUPPORT. Actually be a main character.

So while there is good stuff here, stuff that makes me wonder if I’m being too harsh just because it decided to make EVERYTHING miserable at the end of the episode... I don’t know. Consider me concerned.

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I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[captain-wereduck]

Superman: The Animated Series (1996) S02E15: Father's Day

Apocolyps!

Lois is simply out of fucks to give, isn't she?

Also, yet another set of clothing, it's crazy

Darkseid! Hi!

As manipulations go, that was wayy to easy

Also wow, Darkseid tolerated this puny human for so long? Wow.

Everyone and Lois is dead set on embarrassing Clark today

I'm very impressed by Martha not spilling the beans

That must feel really offending, Superman trying to dodge the fight over and over again

Lois. Lois. Be the reporter. Add two and two.

What's with this cartoon and people faceplanting into the pavement all the time

That's one way to answer a question. Just casually wiping the floor with Superman and walking away.

Kalibak is a poor bastard and somehow really naive despite being Apokolips native

[sully-s]

first off I love your art style! lineless-ness is so graceful and I love your use of shadows and colors! 🎨🖌🖋

the actual question I have is: what is it about Bruce and Clark (and really the super and bat families) that made you interested in making art about them?

So at first, I was a Superman hater, I also didn't like Batman but I think all the time I spent watching the Animated Series when I was a kid made him slightly more tolerable than "has no faults boring Superman." (I mean I kinda hated all Superheros becuase I have this really stupid character flaw that makes me avoid things that are popular that I struggle with even today.)

Then I think in 2010 I read "It's Superman" a historical fiction novel about how young 1930's Clark decided to be Superman and I was like "Aw this man is adorable" (I especially liked how to mean Lois was to love-struck Clark and was so upset that book ended before that dynamic could really be explored.) which led to reading 2 graphic novels about him (Red Son and Earth-One Vol.1) before moving onto a new interest.

Fast Foward to 2018 I somehow stumbled on these little Jimmy Owslen animations on youtube and was like "Aw Jimmy and Clark is the kinda cute ship" Which lead me back to just enjoying Clark's character again. Which lead to me gushing about him to my good friend Serena who also loved Clark but was also Superbats Shipper.

Now at this time, I had flipped Superman was cool and I now hated Batman because he was always more popular, always being pitted against Clark, and has a bad reputation from the outside as being mean and super edgy which is a complete turn-off. I had a few well-known comics (Killing Joke, Long Halloween etc.) and I was unimpressed by them so I had no interest in Bruce or Superbats.

But me and Serena like a lot of the same things so I read some fanfics she liked and after a few stories I had an epiphany

Clark and Bruce fall into my favorite type of ship (lovers or friends) Basically it's The one with lesser physical strength but has the self-confidence and sharp tongue to never let you think lesser of them. The Stronger nicer counterpart who takes verbal jabs by their prickly partner like water rolling off a duck type. With a dash of class and income differences. (Other Ships that fall into this archetype are Wirghtworth and USUK and I love drawing about them)

So I was hooked and here I am today.

[chernobog13]

IT’S SUPERMAN!

After the success of Batman: the Animated Series (which spawned arguably the best Batman feature film -animated or otherwise - ever made, a sequel series, and a spin-off series) Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, and the rest of the gang at Warner Brothers Animation set their sights on the Last Son of Krypton.

Superman:the Animated Series ran for three seasons and introduced the Man of Steel to a new generation of fans.  And, like the Batman series, inspired a line of action figures.

This is the regular Superman figure from the line.  Like the figures in the Batman: TAS line, Kenner made the figures very faithful to their appearance on the show, but gave them infuriatingly little articulation.

The Superman:TAS action figure line was nowhere near as large as that for Batman:TAS.  Additionally, the Superman:TAS figures seemed to be a different scale and not have as good quality as the Batman:TAS figures.  The painting, in particular, appears far inferior on the Superman:TAS figures.

I’m not a huge fan of Bruce Tim’s character designs, as I think they are too simple and too cartoony, even for a cartoon.  I do understand that those designs work better for animation, though.  And when those designs are paired with the great stories and voice acting Batman:TAS and Superman:TAS gave us, then I find them tolerable.

However, if you’re going to give me an action figure based on those cartoony designs, the least you could do is make it able to move.

This is the Quick Change Superman.  You’ll note that he has a fabric cape.

He also has was what appears to be a turkey neck.  This is actually one of the “quick change” features that I’ll explain momentarily.

Although the figures look almost identical, I will give props to Kenner to switching the arm sculpts so it doesn’t feel like they’re just recycling a figure.

Here is Quick Change Superman in the middle of his transformation into Clark Kent.  The Clark head and torso is actually a piece that pops on top of the Superman figure, by first pushing Superman’s head down into his chest cavity.

Clark must need to change the prescription of his glasses because he’s squinting too much.

The cloth cape gets rolled up and tucked underneath Clark’s back pack.  Fake pants get popped onto each of Superman’s legs, and the disguise is complete.

Clark looks like every other 1990s country boy, wearing blue longhorns underneath his long-sleeved shirt (sleeves rolled up, of course).

It’s a neat gimmick, and identical to a Quick Change Batman who transforms into Bruce Wayne.  I think Kenner even re-used this gimmick another time for one of their The Shadow action figures, based on the (gawds-awful) Alec Baldwin film (more on those figures when I dig them up).

[phoenixlionme]

Legion of Superheroes - Team Roster

This is a team roster for the Legion of Superheroes (L.O.S.) from DC Comics. Given how MANY members there have been, I will ONLY include the three founding members, the members that artist Ryan Sook drew in his artwork of the team, and a few that I personally like. Also, do to the theme of them being a team where bigotry is no longer a problem (I heard that somewhere), a few white members will be racebend. Yes, I have some issues with racebending, but that mainly applies to DC and Marvel comic books characters who have been repeatedly and largely portrayed as white, in all types of media besides comics like TV, video games, posters, etc. (When it was announced that Clark Kent Superman would be black, I didn’t feel happy because he wasn’t an original POC hero, he’s been ALWAYS seen as white, AND they could’ve done other Black superman like Steel, Val-Zod, and Calvin Ellis, the fact that they go with Clark implies a common criticism I have with racebending: It’s piggybacking off the popularity of a white hero and having no confidence for original POC heroes, which is both insulting and pandering); the LOS doesn’t necessarily count given that the team hasn’t appeared much in the media outside a few comics (which I think the only recent one was a couple of years ago with Jon Kent but they don’t have a lot of issues like Superman) and one animated TV series. Plus, the whole point of the team was diversity and inclusion from the creators. I will NOT racebend LOS members who are already people of color; and, as a side note (something I just thought of and wanted to put in words), I don’t like the recent trend of DC and Marvel racebending redheads, that’s MY opinion and I’m entitled to it. And I’m not one of those “fans” going around sending hate mail/tweets or being an asshole racist to the actors of color who have/will portray long known white heroes; people like that are spoiled, entitled, jackass “fans” who are TRULY racist. You’re entitled to your opinion just like I am but I will NOT tolerate racist trolls.

1. Cosmic Boy - founding member; team leader; Korean (inspired by Ryan Sook’s take on the character)

2. Saturn Girl - founding member

3. Lightning Lad - founding member

4. Karate Kid - he was already a POC given he’s half Japanese and half white

5. Dawnstar -  she was already a POC given she’s Puebloan Native American

6. Brainiac 5

7. Computo -  she was already a POC given she’s black

8. Triplicate Girl

9. Colossal Boy

10. Matter Eater Lad - racebend into a Romani superhero

11. Lightning Lass

12. Gold Lantern  - he was already a POC given he’s Filipino

13. Ultra Boy - racebend in Ryan Sook’s art but I’m not sure of the ethnicity. I see him as a Native superhero

14. Tyroc -  he was already a POC given he’s black; his creation had racist intentions by the editor and the creators hated said editor for that so they made him ridiculous on person; in a modern update, I would make him serious and not the “Angry Black Man” stereotype he was unfortunately saddled with

15. Shrinking Violet - racebend into someone of Asian descent, possibly West Asian

16. Chemical King - in recent works, he was racebend into a POC superhero given he now has tan skin. I say he might be Hispanic

17. Bouncing Boy - racebend into Southeast Asian hero

18. White Witch

19. Timber Wolf - racebend him to a Hispanic superhero

20. Chameleon Boy

21. Phantom Girl - racebend into a Romani superhero

22. Element Lad - racebend into a Hispanic superhero

23. Shadow Lass

24. XS aka Jenni Ognats - she was already a POC given she’s half black and half white; the great-great granddaughter of Barry Allen

25. Sun Boy - racebend into a Romani superhero

26. Star Boy - racebend into Polynesian superhero

27. Ferro Lad - the creators wanted to make him black, but the racist editors said no. I would make him black.

28. Catspaw - I think she was a POC hero given her dark skin but it’s hard to tell; I would say she’s a Polynesian superhero

29. Dream Girl - racebend into Hispanic superhero

30. Phantom Girl - racebend into a Native superhero

31. Neon - racebend into a Romani superhero

32. Gazelle - racebend into a Polynesian superhero

33. Invisible Kid I 

34. Princess Projectra

[ao3feed-superbat]

Sensible madness

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/34NkxPp

by Anna12aot

What if Kate and Bruce were born around the same time? What if the tragedies that made them the heroes they become, also happened around the same time? What if the two of them ended up living together? What if the two of them ended up as huge theater nerds? What if they had some actual healthy coping mechanisms along side their totally not super unhealthy vigilante detective hobby that nearly kills them on a weekly basis? What if everything wasn't a shitty cheap ass drama show written by racist, misogynist, homophobic, all the bad ism's and phobia's and ist's?

(No disrespect to the individuals who try to give us good diverse content. Actually, all the respect because DC as whole is a weak dumb ass bitch and kudos to those people for tolerating that bastard.)

Here is my sad, pathetic attempt to fix the DC universe that I am very much under qualified and under prepared for. Enjoy. (And I'll get to finishing the relationship tags soon, it's just not on the agenda right about now. There is just so many fucking characters. The character tags are technically unfinished because that won't be all of the characters showing up. Do I really hate myself and DC that much?)

Words: 633, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), Superman - All Media Types, Superman (Comics), Wonder Woman - All Media Types, Wonder Woman (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Under the Red Hood, Red Robin (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon), Justice League - All Media Types, Justice League: War, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017), Teen Titans (Comics), Harley Quinn (Comics)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Kate Kane, Alfred Pennyworth, Lucius Fox, Jim Gordon, Helena Bertinelli, Harold Allnut, Hiro Okamura, Vic Sage, Renee Montoya, Patrick "Eel" O'Brian, Zatanna Zatara, Basil Karlo, Talia al Ghul, Selina Kyle, Holly Robinson, Kitrina Falcone, Dick Grayson, Slade Wilson, Rose Wilson, Grant Wilson (DCU), Joseph Wilson, Damian Wayne, Barbara Gordon, Gus Yale, Wendy Harris, Jacob Kane, Catherine Hamilton Kane, Diana (Wonder Woman), Jason Todd, Koriand'r (DCU), Roy Harper, Bette Kane, Duke Thomas, Tim Drake, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Stephanie Brown, Billy Batson, Harper Row, Cullen Row, Shawn Tsang, Natalia Knight, Sasha Bordeaux, Carrie Kelley, Jaina Hudson, Cassandra Cain, Cheyenne Freemont, Tiffany Fox, Luke Fox, Barry Allen, Wally West, Bart Allen, Jay Garrick, Iris West, Max Mercury, Clark Kent, Kara Zor-El, Kara Danvers, Lois Lane, Jonathan Samuel Kent, Jonathan "Pa" Kent, Martha Wayne, Martha Kent, Thomas Wayne, Sam Lane, Lucy Lane (DCU), Donna Troy, Cassie Sandsmark, Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, Akila of Bana-Mighdall, Queen Hippolyta, Atalanta, Antiope (Wonder Woman), Bana-Mighdall Amazons, The Amazons (Wonder Woman), Grace Choi, Anissa Pierce, Jefferson Pierce, Jennifer Pierce, Oliver Queen, Thea Queen, Emiko Queen, Dinah Lance, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, Jon Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Jade Nguyen, Jennifer-Lynn Hayden, Artemis Crock, Ra's al Ghul, Nyssa Raatko, Silver St. Cloud, Wildcat (DCU), Tatsu Yamashiro, Jason Blood, Jason Bard, Crispus Allen, Kate Spencer, Onyx Adams, Boston Brand, David Zavimbe, Calvin Rose, Jean-Paul Valley, Santiago Varga, Baber Shah, Percy Sheldrake, Cyril Sheldrake, Jiro Osamu, Lonnie Machin, Harriet Cooper, Agatha Wayne, Vicki Vale, Harley Quinn, Pamela Isley, Harleen Quinzel, Harvey Dent, Joker (DCU), Jonathan Crane, Waylon Jones, Bane (DCU), Roman Sionis, Floyd Lawton, Hugo Strange, Thomas Elliot, Drury Walker, Jervis Tetch, Victor Fries, Oswald Cobblepot, Edward Nygma, Cyrus Gold, Solomon Grundy (DCU), Shauna Belzer, Peyton Riley, Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong, Vandal Savage, Noah Kuttler, Julian Gregory Day (DCU), Thomas Blake (DCU), Arthur Brown, Count Vertigo, Garfield Lynns, Warren White, Charles "Chuck" Brown, Zeus (Wonder Woman), Onomatopoeia (DCU), Peter Merkel, Peter Merkel Jr., Deever Tweed, Dumfree Tweed, Victor Zsasz, Ben Turner, David Cain, Titus (DCU), Lady Shiva, Lazlo Valentin, Barton Mathis, Matilda Mathis, Mark Desmond, Mortimer Drake, Alfred the Cat (DCU), Ace the Bat-Hound, Bat-Cow (DCU)

Relationships: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan/Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan/Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan/Clark Kent, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Kate Kane & Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth & Bruce Wayne, Jim Gordon & Bruce Wayne, Diana (Wonder Woman)/Kate Kane, Kate Kane/Renee Montoya (past), Talia al Ghul/Bruce Wayne (past), Kate Kane & Jason Todd, Helena Bertinelli & Kate Kane & Jason Todd, Kate Kane & Clark Kent, Kate Kane & Alfred Pennyworth, Kate Kane & Oliver Queen, Kate Kane & Damian Wayne, Kate Kane & John Stewart, Bruce Wayne & Kara Zor-El, Barbara Gordon & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Zatanna Zatara, Hal Jordan & Bruce Wayne, Talia al Ghul & Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox & Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox & Luke Fox & Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Bruce Wayne, Cassandra Cain & Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Kate Kane, Cassandra Cain & Kate Kane, Luke Fox & Kate Kane

Additional Tags: No Smut, No Incest, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Past Rape/Non-con, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Not Canon Compliant, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, will try to remember to add them later, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, I am trying to fix the entire DCU while very much trying not to, This was supposed to be like just about the Batfam, But I started doing research, and it was really confusing, Then I got angry, and then hyped, and this happened, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Author Regrets Everything, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, How Do I Tag, Batfamily (DCU), Protective Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Domestic Batfamily (DCU), fuck you dc, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, Please Kill Me, I Tried, I Don't Even Know, some people die, no one stays dead, but god, God is Dead, Cause I killed him for letting DC continue this shit show, Nothing makes any fucking sense, This doesn't make any sense, It's a fucking mari go round of bullshit, enjoy, Explicit Language, To Be Edited, Not Beta Read, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Young Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne Has Issues, Growing Up Together, Romani Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Kate Kane is a Good Parent, Alfred Pennyworth is the Best, Good Parent Alfred Pennyworth, Good Grandparent Alfred Pennyworth, Jim Gordon Knows, Everyone Needs A Hug, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Is Gay, And they're all panicked gays, Fluff and Angst, Family Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Feels, Humor, Gallows Humor, Bruce Wayne's Sense of Humor, Jason Todd’s Morbid Humor, this is gonna get long, Like over a few hundred thousand, Or this will die after it's reached 3k, Don't Like Don't Read, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma, Psychological Trauma, Childhood Trauma, Mental Health Issues, Mental Institutions, Because of arkham, Arkham Asylum, Eventual Romance, Eventual Relationships, read the tags, Tags May Change, Tags Are Hard, Body Image, Jewish Character, Canon Disabled Character, Canon Rewrite, Hispanic Character, Black Character(s), Native American Character(s), Arab Character, Arab Damian Wayne, We Die Like Men, Everyone is a minority in some way, This will have all the representation, Racism, Racist Language, They will suffer because of their racism, Don't worry, Don't Have to Know Canon, Hopefully you won't have to know canon, Because if I don't do this right, Than you will be so confused, Better Than Canon, I take most of my inspiration from the justice league cartoons, and from the harley quinn movie soundtrack, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Trans Character, Gay Panic

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/34NkxPp

[smokeybrand]

Three’s a Crowd

I’m on record as being a Marvel shill. Those heroes, those stories; They’re my jam. I’ve never been a fan f DC comics but i respect their position as one of the Big Two. I like certain aspects of their storytelling, mostly the stuff from the late seventies and early eighties. If i had to be clear, I'd say i was more a Vertigo fan than DC. The mainstream DC comics were always way to fantastical for me to get into. I prefer more human, character driven stories, not objective power fantasies. DC traded in a lot of that sh*t. You could see it with their characters. I mean, have you actually took the time to take in how goddamn OP golden age Superman really was? I get why he was but I'm not a Jewish kid who survived WWII. I’m a nerdy black kid who grew up poor in the ghetto. Spider-Man skewed closer to my life experience than Clark Kent. DC has gotten better at appealing to the sh*t that Marvel has been doing for years and they’ve endeared a lot of those characters i didn’t care for, to me. I love Wonder Woman now and Power Girls is always my Supergirl of choice. I enjoy the friendship between Booster and Ted. The Flash family and the Rouges are just so goddamn endearing, it;s hard not to love them. I still don’t care for Supes but i can tolerate his skulduggery much easier now. However, the thing that i adore out of DC is definitely Batman.

I love Batman. Always have. My first introduction to the character was that old Superfriends cartoon i caught on repeat but the version that made the deepest impression was Tim Burton’s take. Batman 89 was who i thought this character should be. It became the tent pole for how i would see the character for the rest of my life. Hell, it was the framework for one of the greatest, US made, cartoons ever; Batman: The Animated Series. What version of Batman would go on to become the definitive version of the character for decades to follow. To this day, Bats still pulls ques from that show. When i was old enough to earn my own money, i made my way to the comic shop and one of the first books i ever bought was The Killing Joke. I read that sh*t cover to cover, thousands of times. That story was who Batman is. That story defined the relationship between Joker and Bruce. More than any there version of this character i had ever seen up to that point, The Killing Joke nailed that sh*t. That story became the cornerstone for the Bat-Mythos going forward, for years. It gave us Oracle. It made Joker a monster. It was truly inspired Bat-Storytelling, flaws and all. Why am i saying all of this? Because I want to talk about The Three Jokers. I want to really get into this narrative that surprised the f*ck out of me.

The Three Jokers is a spiritual sequel to The Killing Joke. It change everything by changing nothing. It removes the ambiguity of the Joker’s origin but, at the same time, clouds even more. The Three Jokers uses The Killing Joke to ask some incredibly heady questions about the dynamic of Batman and Joker. I don’t want to get into spoilers, like the actual plan of these literal three Jokers, but there are revelations that take me right back to the first time i saw Barbara take that bullet to the spine. This entire narrative, this entire arc, explains so clearly why the Joker is. Of course, there’s a lot of extra sh*t, a lot of noise to pad the run time so to speak, but the core of this story, the dynamic among Bats and the Jokes, is profound. And it means absolutely nothing. There is no seismic shift in tone, no devastating revelation that recontextualizes Joker or Bruce. It just validates a lot of sh*t that everyone just assumes. Joker knows who Batman really is. He knows who all of them really are. He knows about Alfred. He knows but doesn’t care. Going after “Bruce” isn’t fun. It misses the point. And, Batman, too, knows who Joker is. He’s known since the first week of them interacting for the first time because he’s the goddamn Batman. It just doesn’t matter. Who Joker is has never mattered. These two are contrasting forces; The chaos and the order, the Id and the ego, the good and the bad. That’s the point. There is no Batman without Joker and there is no Joker without Batman. That’s the point. That’s the joke. That’s the punchline. That’s brilliant f*cking storytelling.

[ao3feed-batlantern]

by Anna12aot

What if Kate and Bruce were born around the same time? What if the tragedies that made them the heroes they become, also happened around the same time? What if the two of them ended up living together? What if the two of them ended up as huge theater nerds? What if they had some actual healthy coping mechanisms along side their totally not super unhealthy vigilante detective hobby that nearly kills them on a weekly basis? What if everything wasn't a shitty cheap ass drama show written by racist, misogynist, homophobic, all the bad ism's and phobia's and ist's?

(No disrespect to the individuals who try to give us good diverse content. Actually, all the respect because DC as whole is a weak dumb ass bitch and kudos to those people for tolerating that bastard.)

Here is my sad, pathetic attempt to fix the DC universe that I am very much under qualified and under prepared for. Enjoy. (And I'll get to finishing the relationship tags soon, it's just not on the agenda right about now. There is just so many fucking characters. The character tags are technically unfinished because that won't be all of the characters showing up. Do I really hate myself and DC that much?)

Words: 633, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Batman (Comics), Superman - All Media Types, Superman (Comics), Wonder Woman - All Media Types, Wonder Woman (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Under the Red Hood, Red Robin (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon), Justice League - All Media Types, Justice League: War, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (2017), Teen Titans (Comics), Harley Quinn (Comics)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other

Characters: Bruce Wayne, Kate Kane, Alfred Pennyworth, Lucius Fox, Jim Gordon, Helena Bertinelli, Harold Allnut, Hiro Okamura, Vic Sage, Renee Montoya, Patrick "Eel" O'Brian, Zatanna Zatara, Basil Karlo, Talia al Ghul, Selina Kyle, Holly Robinson, Kitrina Falcone, Dick Grayson, Slade Wilson, Rose Wilson, Grant Wilson (DCU), Joseph Wilson, Damian Wayne, Barbara Gordon, Gus Yale, Wendy Harris, Jacob Kane, Catherine Hamilton Kane, Diana (Wonder Woman), Jason Todd, Koriand'r (DCU), Roy Harper, Bette Kane, Duke Thomas, Tim Drake, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Stephanie Brown, Billy Batson, Harper Row, Cullen Row, Shawn Tsang, Natalia Knight, Sasha Bordeaux, Carrie Kelley, Jaina Hudson, Cassandra Cain, Cheyenne Freemont, Tiffany Fox, Luke Fox, Barry Allen, Wally West, Bart Allen, Jay Garrick, Iris West, Max Mercury, Clark Kent, Kara Zor-El, Kara Danvers, Lois Lane, Jonathan Samuel Kent, Jonathan "Pa" Kent, Martha Wayne, Martha Kent, Thomas Wayne, Sam Lane, Lucy Lane (DCU), Donna Troy, Cassie Sandsmark, Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, Akila of Bana-Mighdall, Queen Hippolyta, Atalanta, Antiope (Wonder Woman), Bana-Mighdall Amazons, The Amazons (Wonder Woman), Grace Choi, Anissa Pierce, Jefferson Pierce, Jennifer Pierce, Oliver Queen, Thea Queen, Emiko Queen, Dinah Lance, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, Jon Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Jade Nguyen, Jennifer-Lynn Hayden, Artemis Crock, Ra's al Ghul, Nyssa Raatko, Silver St. Cloud, Wildcat (DCU), Tatsu Yamashiro, Jason Blood, Jason Bard, Crispus Allen, Kate Spencer, Onyx Adams, Boston Brand, David Zavimbe, Calvin Rose, Jean-Paul Valley, Santiago Varga, Baber Shah, Percy Sheldrake, Cyril Sheldrake, Jiro Osamu, Lonnie Machin, Harriet Cooper, Agatha Wayne, Vicki Vale, Harley Quinn, Pamela Isley, Harleen Quinzel, Harvey Dent, Joker (DCU), Jonathan Crane, Waylon Jones, Bane (DCU), Roman Sionis, Floyd Lawton, Hugo Strange, Thomas Elliot, Drury Walker, Jervis Tetch, Victor Fries, Oswald Cobblepot, Edward Nygma, Cyrus Gold, Solomon Grundy (DCU), Shauna Belzer, Peyton Riley, Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong, Vandal Savage, Noah Kuttler, Julian Gregory Day (DCU), Thomas Blake (DCU), Arthur Brown, Count Vertigo, Garfield Lynns, Warren White, Charles "Chuck" Brown, Zeus (Wonder Woman), Onomatopoeia (DCU), Peter Merkel, Peter Merkel Jr., Deever Tweed, Dumfree Tweed, Victor Zsasz, Ben Turner, David Cain, Titus (DCU), Lady Shiva, Lazlo Valentin, Barton Mathis, Matilda Mathis, Mark Desmond, Mortimer Drake, Alfred the Cat (DCU), Ace the Bat-Hound, Bat-Cow (DCU)

Relationships: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan/Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan/Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan/Clark Kent, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Kate Kane & Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth & Bruce Wayne, Jim Gordon & Bruce Wayne, Diana (Wonder Woman)/Kate Kane, Kate Kane/Renee Montoya (past), Talia al Ghul/Bruce Wayne (past), Kate Kane & Jason Todd, Helena Bertinelli & Kate Kane & Jason Todd, Kate Kane & Clark Kent, Kate Kane & Alfred Pennyworth, Kate Kane & Oliver Queen, Kate Kane & Damian Wayne, Kate Kane & John Stewart, Bruce Wayne & Kara Zor-El, Barbara Gordon & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne & Zatanna Zatara, Hal Jordan & Bruce Wayne, Talia al Ghul & Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox & Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox & Luke Fox & Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Bruce Wayne, Cassandra Cain & Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Kate Kane, Cassandra Cain & Kate Kane, Luke Fox & Kate Kane

Additional Tags: No Smut, No Incest, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Past Rape/Non-con, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Not Canon Compliant, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, will try to remember to add them later, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, I am trying to fix the entire DCU while very much trying not to, This was supposed to be like just about the Batfam, But I started doing research, and it was really confusing, Then I got angry, and then hyped, and this happened, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Author Regrets Everything, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, How Do I Tag, Batfamily (DCU), Protective Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Domestic Batfamily (DCU), fuck you dc, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, Please Kill Me, I Tried, I Don't Even Know, some people die, no one stays dead, but god, God is Dead, Cause I killed him for letting DC continue this shit show, Nothing makes any fucking sense, This doesn't make any sense, It's a fucking mari go round of bullshit, enjoy, Explicit Language, To Be Edited, Not Beta Read, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Young Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne Has Issues, Growing Up Together, Romani Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Kate Kane is a Good Parent, Alfred Pennyworth is the Best, Good Parent Alfred Pennyworth, Good Grandparent Alfred Pennyworth, Jim Gordon Knows, Everyone Needs A Hug, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Is Gay, And they're all panicked gays, Fluff and Angst, Family Fluff, Romantic Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Feels, Humor, Gallows Humor, Bruce Wayne's Sense of Humor, Jason Todd’s Morbid Humor, this is gonna get long, Like over a few hundred thousand, Or this will die after it's reached 3k, Don't Like Don't Read, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma, Psychological Trauma, Childhood Trauma, Mental Health Issues, Mental Institutions, Because of arkham, Arkham Asylum, Eventual Romance, Eventual Relationships, read the tags, Tags May Change, Tags Are Hard, Body Image, Jewish Character, Canon Disabled Character, Canon Rewrite, Hispanic Character, Black Character(s), Native American Character(s), Arab Character, Arab Damian Wayne, We Die Like Men, Everyone is a minority in some way, This will have all the representation, Racism, Racist Language, They will suffer because of their racism, Don't worry, Don't Have to Know Canon, Hopefully you won't have to know canon, Because if I don't do this right, Than you will be so confused, Better Than Canon, I take most of my inspiration from the justice league cartoons, and from the harley quinn movie soundtrack, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Trans Character, Gay Panic

[nancylou444]

Crisis on Infinite Worlds

cameos that I’m looking forward to, out of the 10 on this list

HOLY CRAP ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!!!! WOW

As far as I’m concerned, Christopher Reeve is the true movie Superman. I never saw the other movies. I barely tolerate Ray Palmer, but THIS intrigues me. 

I loved Batman:The Animated Series and THIS IS AWESOME. 

Smallville’s Lois and Clark. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jacscorner]

Thundercats Character Retrospective: Lion-O (+Snarf)

Since I've been chipping away at classic Thundercats and it's such an influence on my tastes and interests, I decided to talk a little bit about the characters that I hold so near and dear to me and how I've felt about them so far-emphasis on 'so far' since I'm on episode 30 and, like, this show has, like, 100 episodes or something. So this first one goes to Lion-O (and Snarf). Lion-O is an interesting idea for an action hero. He's basically a man with the mind of a child after his stasis pod malfunctions. "He grew in size, but he did not grow up". In a way, that's kind of dark: he lost, like, 10-12 years of his life at the LEAST. The advantage of this is that you can base him off of the badass action figures you wanna sell to kids-cause kids want toys of badass action heroes; everyone wants Batman, nobody wants a Robin-but he can still be the character who learns the lesson of the series. And since he's also an adult, you can also write him as the one dispensing the lesson, even if its to the audience and not to anyone in particular. The only thing I don't like is...well, there's almost no point to that plot point. Hell, in a lot of episodes, you can not know that's part of Lion-O's backstory and you'd never know and just think he's reckless cause he's adventure-seeking. Not that I personally care for it, I think it's a dumb part of the show. But, like, it's an element of the show and I feel it's kind of forgotten by episode 10. Meanwhile, like, everyone still calls Lion-O a 'boy' and, okay, the Mutants maybe should know, but why does, say, Hachiman call him a boy in "The Thunder-Cutter"?! Just out of disrespect? It's still so weird to me... It's not uncommon for a Team Leader to not be the physically strongest member of a group, but Lion-O is constantly portrayed as being more skilled and agility-based. Like, yeah, he has the sword of omens, but if he's not kicking ass, he's jumping around like an acrobat. Like in the episode "Safari Joe", when fighting...well, Safari Joe, he doesn't go in Rambo-style, he sneaks around in the shadows. I think the only time Lion-O out-muscles someone is when he arm-wrestles the caveman in "The Time Capsule" and...well, I mean, just look at this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Qio-iOvFNI&feature=emb_title

Top 10 Anime Fights. I'm not even joking, where's my Arm Wrestling anime? Someone get on that shit! Everyone compares him to He-Man, but that's totally wrong. Yes, Lion-O is our audience surrogate and carries a magic sword. But there's two differences. 1. Lion-O has to work for his wins. Yeah, this is an 80s cartoon and he wins pretty much every fight. But you watch Lion-O fight for his wins. He struggles with every fight-even the Mutants can push him into a corner when its him on his own. He-Man is pretty much on God Mode. He's the 80s One-Punch Man, the only time he's in any 'real' peril is in the She-Ra two parter. Not that I don't like He-Man or The Masters of the Universe, it's just that Thundercats has a much bigger place in my heart. 2. Lion-O's just cooler. Forgetting the fact he's an anthropomorphic lion with a sword, which in itself is badass, he's a person who's just fun to watch. He's adventurous and noble, determined and honorable. He's curious, often to a fault, but slowly develops into a proper leader. He-Man is just a flying brick, with Prince Adam being basically a less interesting Clark Kent. And when you're less interesting then Superman's alter ego, you're pretty bland. And I can't talk about Lion-O without talking about Snarf. (Well, I mean, I can, but I didn't wanna make a dedicated post for Snarf, so we're not doing that.) When I started watching this, I thought I'd hate Snarf. Not that I wholeheartedly believe that the collective fandom ever knows anything, but on principal, I don't like animal sidekicks in cartoons and I vaguely remembered not liking Snarf as a kid when watching this with my Stepdad, so figured it'd just be more of the same here. So far...I've been happily surprised. Yeah, he's a nagging nurse maid for Lion-O and I wish for less of him, but he never got to the point where he grates on me. His voice is...tolerable. It's kind of annoying, but I've heard much worse. And he never really gets in the way. Hell, I actually really like the episodes when he ends up saving the Thundercats. "Snarf Takes Up The Challenge" so far is the best of these episodes-granted, it's an episode where half of it is Snarf learning how Mumm-Ra and the Mutants captured each of the cats, but it's pretty neat to see Snarf talk to animals and BREAK INTO MUMM-RA'S PYRAMID, WHAT?! Is he the load? Yeah, yeah he is. But I'm never annoyed when he's on screen.

[sebeth]

Injustice #4

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

 Injustice: Gods Among Us # 4 by Tom Taylor.

 Dick and Damian spar in the Batcave. Dick critiques Damian: “You keep aiming for that killing blow, you’re trying to hurt me, which I’m trying not to take personally by the way, but it’s not all about the body and head. Your opponent has sticky -outy bits that are easier to reach. Not only does your opponent have sticky-outy bits, they may also have had some bad circumstances that led them to a point where you’re fighting them. Some criminals deserve a second chance. Second chances are harder with a severe brain injury.”

An angered Damian hurls an escrima stick at Dick’s head, which is caught by the newly-arrived Superman.

“That’s not very sporting, Damian.”

Dick assures Clark: “It’s okay, Superman. I knew it was coming. He tries it all the time.”

The opening scene is foreshadowing for later events in the series. Damion’s routine hissy fit with the escrima sticks will end up having severe consequences.

Events before the beginning of the series in this universe are rather vague. We don’t know the circumstances of Damian’s introduction to the Bat Family. I would assume it’s similar to the mainstream universe. Damian appears older than 10, possibly in the 13-14 years old range.

Tim became Red Robin in this universe but we aren’t given details. Did Final Crisis happen? Was Bruce lost in time and presumed dead? Or is Dick’s mentorship of Damian similar to the animated movies?

Superman is at the cave to speak to Bruce. Damian says Bruce is “broodier than usual.”

Damian thanks Clark for killing the Joker: “Not that the Joker’s gone, everything just feels safer, you know?

Dick asks Clark if he’s okay. Clark says he’ll manage.

Clark demands to know where Bruce was when Ma & Pa Kent were kidnapped.

Bruce tells Clark that he has to “stop what you’re doing”.

“I have to stop what? Stop saving lives? Stop bringing dictators to justice?”

“You’re scaring them.”

“They should be scared. They should be too scared to press the button. They should be too scared to pull the trigger. They should be too scared to hurt each other. You taught me that. You’d do exactly what I’m doing if you were me, if you could do what I can.”

“You killed a man, Clark.”

“I did. And every time you let that madman live, how many more did you condemn? Did you even feel responsible? Did you even feel guilty?”

“Every time. But we don’t get to choose who dies.”

“One death. To save millions.”

“One. Death.”

“It always starts with one. That’s how justification works. But once you justify something once, you can do it again and again. It becomes easier. Right and wrong blur.”

I find myself on both sides of their argument. Bruce is absolutely correct on the slippery side nature of taking the law in your own hands. Superman and company have no right to run the world. On the other hand, killing the Joker is something that should have been done years ago. The Joker’s body count is in the hundreds if not more. There is no hope of redemption for him – and even if he suddenly regretted all of his previous actions, there is no way to atone for his scale of murder. And this is before the Metropolis massacre. The Joker – and Harley’s – death toll is now in the millions!

A Japanese fleet harpoons whales in the ocean only to encounter a very angry Aquaman.

Aquaman sinks the ship causing the Justice League to respond.

Diana urges Arthur to withdraw. Arthur refuses – the ocean is his kingdom and he will protect it as he sees fit.

A worried Atlantean soldier blasts Diana, starting an Altantean-Justice League brawl.

We return to the Batcave where Clark accuses Bruce of loving the Joker: “You’re not sitting in the dark mourning Metropolis, are you? You’re mourning him. You’re angry at me for taking the Joker away from you. You loved having him around. Your constant nemesis. The two of you played your stupid game and people died. Why did you let him do this to me, Bruce?”

While the suggestion of a Bruce/Joker love match is disgusting, Bruce should have ended the Joker years ago. Honestly, the Joker should have been killed – and left dead – in the Death of the Family storyline.  After the paralyzing Babs/murdering Jason combo act, the only thing the writers seem to do with the Joker is have him commit yet another atrocity. Boring and redundant.

Clark continues his rant, bemoaning the loss of his wife an unborn child. Clark specifically mentions the loss of his unborn child denying the world of another Kryptonian, “someone who would have made me feel less alone.”

Maybe Clark should try being nicer to Conner!

Clark criticizes Bruce’s parenting skills: “You’re sitting in the dark, ignoring Dick and Damian. How many friends did they have in Metropolis? Have you consoled them? Have you held them? Your parents died and left you, Bruce. What’s your excuse for not being a father?”

I don’t know if the events of a future Injustice annual were planned out at this point but if they were, Clark’s speech is rather ballsy and hypocritical considering his treatment of the Titans in the aftermath of the destruction of Metropolis.

Did Clark ever consider Bruce is “sitting in the dark” at the Batcomputer because he’s searching for his missing son? The one Clark banished to the Phantom Zone?

Dick and Damian wouldn’t normally have “friends in Metropolis”. Jon was never born and Dick doesn’t hang around in Metropolis. Is Clark’s “friends in Metropolis” rant the first clue Bruce has regarding the whereabouts of the missing Tim and the Titans? Is that the reason Bruce punches Clark at the end of his speech?

Clark switches from angry to concerned in a second, examining Bruce’s hand. Normally, I’d say it’s a typical Clark move, but in the Injustice-verse it’s a sign of Clark’s growing instability.

The Batcomputer alerts the duo to the brawl in the Atlantic Ocean. Clark decides to head over there.

Bruce warns Clark: “You can’t yourself above us, Clark. You’re right. I’m not saying I’d act differently if I had your abilities. I’m not saying I wouldn’t try to impose peace but you…you’re a better man than I am.”

Not anymore, Bruce.

Alfred asks “Master Kent” if he’s staying for tea.

“I’m afraid not, Alfred. And you don’t have to call me ‘Master’”.

“Good. Let’s remember that.”

Alfred is not fond of Clark’s shenanigans.

Aquaman has summoned a creature so huge that its arrival causes a tsunami. That’s right, the Kraken has been unleashed.

Batman warns Aquaman via a communicator: “Listen to me. He’s coming. He’s in angry. He’s in pain. You’re hurting his friends. You need to stop or there’s no telling what he may do. Do as he says.”

Superman wants Arthur to withdraw the Kraken.

Arthur does after reminding Clark the League started the brawl. Which they did. Arthur attempted to calm the situation down after his soldier blasted Diana. Diana decided she was “tired of words” and started the rumble.

Arthur and Clark argue.

“I called for a worldwide ceasefire.”

“Even your voice does not reach down into the deep, Superman. If you wish to rule the surface world…”

“I do not seek to rule, only to protect.”

“I understand, with the destruction of Metropolis, you lost your kingdom. But you can’t have mine.”

“I do not want…”

“Superman, whether you see it or not, your reign is beginning. But the sea is mine alone to command.

The League realizes “Atlantean armies are rising in countries across the world.”

Superman: “Arthur, what is this?”

“A reminder. I am not some self-appointed leader of an insignificant country who can be bullied into submission. Every port. Every ship. Everything that flies over the oceans does so with my blessing. Your world would halt grind to a halt if I willed it. Every land mass borders the sea. Your entire world is inside mine. Consider this a show of strength. Now get the hell out of my ocean.”

Bruce fumes: “You idiot. He’s not going to respond to an ultimatum!”

Clark orders Diana, Hal, and Billy to accompany him: “Aquaman is using his strength. It’s time we showed him our strength. It’s time we showed everyone who would threaten the world just how much power they’re dealing with. No more holding back.”

The foursome then lift Atlantis out of the ocean and re-locate it into the middle of the Sahara desert.

That’s the show of strength? Lifting a city containing thousands of civilians, women and children, and putting it in the middle of an environment where they are unable to breathe or tolerate the extreme heat. Sounds more like a murder plan.

It should be noted the panels containing the “rising Atlantean armies” only showed the Atlanteans standing in formation on the coasts – not actually attacking.

I’m not defending Arthur – he, along with Clark and Diana, all acted like immature toddlers having a fit.

The forcible removal of Atlantis is where any remaining sympathy for Clark went out the window. He acted like a terrorist. A “proper show of strength” would have been engaging the Atlantean armies not threatening unarmed civilians. It boggles my mind that the rest of the Justice League has been fine with Clark’s actions.

Diana is clearly a more sinister version of herself in this universe. She’s been egging Clark on the entire team and she is the cause of the Atlantean confrontation.

Hal should know better – Sinestro was removed from the Green Lantern Corps because of Superman-like actions – but he’s shown bad judgement in the past so I could maybe see him siding with Clark. It’s still iffy as Hal hasn’t been traumatized by the destruction of Coast City in this universe.

Hawkgirl – well, if she’s “Hawkworld” version of Shayera then she would be comfortable in a military-run world

Raven – will be shown to have fallen under Trigon’s influence so she’s clearly fallen to the “dark side”

Cyborg, Captain Marvel, and Flash are simply too good/sweet to fall in line with the dictator posse. Boggles my mind to see the trio blindly following Clark and Diana’s orders.

Diana informs Clark that Arthur is ready to speak to him. Clark demurs, stating “I’ve achieved nothing by talking today.”

More like cowardly refusing to own up to his actions.

Arthur urges Diana to steer Clark “away from this course of action”, warning her that “you will have scared a lot of people today. Ordinary people who will not want gods and aliens telling them what they can and can’t do.”

Diana refuses as she believes “this course of action is what’s best for the world.”

Diana returns to Clark and informs him that Arthur “will pull his armies back into the ocean”.

Clark has Billy and Hal return Atlantis to the ocean, nothing “this action didn’t sit well with either of them.”

Diana tells Clark “Don’t worry about what they think. You did the right thing. You did what needed to be done.”

“So you’ve said.”

“I won’t let you doubt yourself.”

“What else?”

“What?”

“Surely Arthur had more to say.”

“No. Nothing.”

Diana omits Arthur’s concers and his expressed sympathies for the loss of Lois.

Diana is quite the sinister manipulator in this universe. She’s all but hurling Clark down the “slippery slope” of his actions.

It’s easy to see the reasons of Clark’s descent. He’s lost his wife, unborn child, and his entire city. He’s isolated his parents in a fortress instead of mourning with them. He has a fierce anger towards his best friend because of the Joker and is unwilling to listen to Bruce. Diana, his other best friend, is urging him to indulge in his worst impulses. And the rest of the Justice League – minus Arthur – is too cowardly to call him out.

Next issue: It gets worse. Of course, that could be the summary for every issue.

[smokeybrandreviews]

Three’s a Crowd

I’m on record as being a Marvel shill. Those heroes, those stories; They’re my jam. I’ve never been a fan f DC comics but i respect their position as one of the Big Two. I like certain aspects of their storytelling, mostly the stuff from the late seventies and early eighties. If i had to be clear, I'd say i was more a Vertigo fan than DC. The mainstream DC comics were always way to fantastical for me to get into. I prefer more human, character driven stories, not objective power fantasies. DC traded in a lot of that sh*t. You could see it with their characters. I mean, have you actually took the time to take in how goddamn OP golden age Superman really was? I get why he was but I'm not a Jewish kid who survived WWII. I’m a nerdy black kid who grew up poor in the ghetto. Spider-Man skewed closer to my life experience than Clark Kent. DC has gotten better at appealing to the sh*t that Marvel has been doing for years and they’ve endeared a lot of those characters i didn’t care for, to me. I love Wonder Woman now and Power Girls is always my Supergirl of choice. I enjoy the friendship between Booster and Ted. The Flash family and the Rouges are just so goddamn endearing, it;s hard not to love them. I still don’t care for Supes but i can tolerate his skulduggery much easier now. However, the thing that i adore out of DC is definitely Batman.

I love Batman. Always have. My first introduction to the character was that old Superfriends cartoon i caught on repeat but the version that made the deepest impression was Tim Burton’s take. Batman 89 was who i thought this character should be. It became the tent pole for how i would see the character for the rest of my life. Hell, it was the framework for one of the greatest, US made, cartoons ever; Batman: The Animated Series. What version of Batman would go on to become the definitive version of the character for decades to follow. To this day, Bats still pulls ques from that show. When i was old enough to earn my own money, i made my way to the comic shop and one of the first books i ever bought was The Killing Joke. I read that sh*t cover to cover, thousands of times. That story was who Batman is. That story defined the relationship between Joker and Bruce. More than any there version of this character i had ever seen up to that point, The Killing Joke nailed that sh*t. That story became the cornerstone for the Bat-Mythos going forward, for years. It gave us Oracle. It made Joker a monster. It was truly inspired Bat-Storytelling, flaws and all. Why am i saying all of this? Because I want to talk about The Three Jokers. I want to really get into this narrative that surprised the f*ck out of me.

The Three Jokers is a spiritual sequel to The Killing Joke. It change everything by changing nothing. It removes the ambiguity of the Joker’s origin but, at the same time, clouds even more. The Three Jokers uses The Killing Joke to ask some incredibly heady questions about the dynamic of Batman and Joker. I don’t want to get into spoilers, like the actual plan of these literal three Jokers, but there are revelations that take me right back to the first time i saw Barbara take that bullet to the spine. This entire narrative, this entire arc, explains so clearly why the Joker is. Of course, there’s a lot of extra sh*t, a lot of noise to pad the run time so to speak, but the core of this story, the dynamic among Bats and the Jokes, is profound. And it means absolutely nothing. There is no seismic shift in tone, no devastating revelation that recontextualizes Joker or Bruce. It just validates a lot of sh*t that everyone just assumes. Joker knows who Batman really is. He knows who all of them really are. He knows about Alfred. He knows but doesn’t care. Going after “Bruce” isn’t fun. It misses the point. And, Batman, too, knows who Joker is. He’s known since the first week of them interacting for the first time because he’s the goddamn Batman. It just doesn’t matter. Who Joker is has never mattered. These two are contrasting forces; The chaos and the order, the Id and the ego, the good and the bad. That’s the point. There is no Batman without Joker and there is no Joker without Batman. That’s the point. That’s the joke. That’s the punchline. That’s brilliant f*cking storytelling.

[tgunn64]

Favorite Villains - Toyman (Superman/DC)

If you wanna be a rogue to Superman, one of the single most powerful beings in all of fiction, you HAVE to be packing something huge. A genius intellect, a planet under your control, a vile plan, or even intergalactic omnipotence. But one villain managed to be a viable threat to the man of steel with nothing but his gadgets and desire to achieve his goals, and that villain was Winslow Schott--a.k.a. the Toyman. Winlow's father was a modest toy maker before he wound up tied up with the big time criminal, Bruno Manheim. Business transactions went sour, one thing lead to another, and Bruno arranged for Mr. Schott's arrest, resulting in the young Winslow being bounced from foster home to foster home. His heart blackened and mind broken by the traumatizing experience, Winslow took after his father's inventive ways and became the Toyman, aiming to get his revenge on Manheim with his arsenal of lethal playthings.

Toyman is a villain that's nearly justified in his motives; Manheim is a terrible person and deserves everything he would get from Toyman and more. Unfortunately the anarchy Toyman causes in his methods is just a bridge too far for Superman to tolerate, who flies to stop him. While I don't think Superman is wrong in this situation per se, I think it's easy to see that Toyman sees the big, blue boy scout as the corrupted authority that put his father in jail before sending him on the ride of his life in the foster system. While he seems like a Batman villain, he opposes the views of Superman rather clearly. Toyman was always a really creepy character, his plastic mask makes a really disturbing imagery wherever he goes, with a perfectly eerie voice by Bud Cort, he set a nearly scary tone in every scene he was in. He's clearly someone who's just broken beyond repair, and his unhinged mind is being used for all the wrong things.

Apparently someone at Warner really loved Toyman, because for a relatively lesser known Superman rogue, he sure made a ton of appearances in the DCAU. His screen time in the Superman animated series alone is nothing to sneeze at, but he made cameos and appearances in both Justice League and Static Shock. In the latter he has a pretty fun plot where he brings a life size Barbie to life to be his partner in crime, only to unceremoniously allow her body to fall apart and throw away the antidote when she steps out of line. Toyman doesn't fuck around. Toyman's role in Justice League was awesome too. He first appears in one of the best sagas of the original JL show, where he, along with other Man of Steel rogues form the Superman Revenge Squad, and in one of the most intense and heartbreaking moments of the show, Toyman seemingly kills Superman. This was enough to push Wonder Woman to nearly kill him, only to spare him when Flash reminds her what Clark would have wanted, which as a whole was such a wounding moment for everyone involved. For a fake out death, it was brilliantly executed.

Toyman later appears again as a part of Grodd's Legion of Doom, one of the most prominent loyalists of Lex Luthor's uprising. Toyman has a number of moments that just really work for him, again, I think this was just a really popular character among the staff because they give him so many stand out moments. I also like to think he saw Lex, who gave him 'new toys' and encouraged his inventive nature as a second father of sorts. Let's also never forget him beating the shit out of Killer Frost. I could watch that all day. OH, and I'd be remissed not to mention the CW version of the character. He's given extra weight as a villain because he's actually the father of Supergirl's best friend, Winn Schott Jr. This Toyman's story is reversed a bit--instead of a boy robbed of his childhood when his father was arrested, he's a man, feeling as though he was unfairly robbed of time with his son when he finally snapped and murdered his peers at the Toy Factory. Toyman is incredibly creepy here, threatening and even making a small body count. He even manages to get the better of Supergirl once.

He nearly pulls off a pretty scary arsonist plot via manipulation of his son, and was overall probably the most real villain among alien monsters and warlords, making him extremely memorable. I certainly hope he gets at least one more episode in the future. From being a creepy as mofo to killing DARKSEID'S PARADEMONS WITH NERF DARTS, Toyman is an unforgettable villain.

[chrispineofficial]

christopher reeves superman series is iconic if you like retro special effects and superman. highly recommend!

also: the fact that although you prefer space/fantasy genre but superman is your favorite superhero….he is an alien lol

TRU AND FAIR i actually wondered if i wouldn’t like GotG bc it’s a space movie. i’m just like, really really really into aos trek. but i like things all shiny and lens-flarey and pretty and slick….i watched star wars a new hope when i was 20 and i was kinda like…………k…..

i loved the star wars reboots too tho, bc they’re all shiny and cool and have finn and poe and rey, there are so many beautiful Gays in Space these days

anyway clark kent/henry cavill both make the superhero genre tolerable for me. i hated doctor strange bc the character himself is so obnoxious and Terrible and he never redeems himself, he just like, gets superpowers by virtue of being really obnoxious and pathetic to the point that ppl just do what he asks to shut him up….and he never changes. like not at all. that’s like…..how he wins??? it’s Awful. at least w clark kent you get a truly Good wholesome middle america boy who just happens to be thick and meaty and indestructible and have significant daddy issues. at least twice as many anyone else ever could

and i did like this film’s take on lois! and that whole team being so incredibly There for each other. not depicting them as animals tearing each other apart. willing to die for each other!

i mean lois, i thought like, yeah, she probably shouldn’t have snuck around a place she’s been explicitly told will easily kill her if she makes a single wrong move, so i was kinda like ‘please prove to me you’re just reckless bc you’re hungry not stupid’ at the beginning and she immediately did! they made her much more cool and smart and independent and a much bigger part of saving the day than i’ve ever seen (though i don’t believe for one second in a version of any rational person who would be like ‘sure no problem i’ll just hop on in ur ship there dont worry about a thing i just ate i’m good to go’)

and i was super concerned about richard schiff and christopher meloni letting me down wrt my deeply important mental images of who they intrinsically are in any role based upon the west wing and SVU, but in the end they both came thruuuuuuuuu and i was happy

[subcultist-blog]

015 SUPERMAN II with BRENT SIMONS

COMICS A TROIS -  "Yay, its not Superman III" (1980): On a first for the show, Bob and Tim invite a third super-friend into their (normally) Hall Of Just-Us.  Its Brent Simons and, not only is he the co-writer of the animated Dreamworks film MEGAMIND he is also one of the few "actual" people Tim has heard refer to the character as "Supes."  Hear everyone talk over everyone else in today's look back at Kal-El the second

00:00:00 - PRE-SHOW PROMO - Loathe theme from 20popcast / "Love Theme from Superman" 00:00:55 - BOB & TIM WITH ... - Brent Simons screenwriter of "MEGAMIND / "Superman" 00:03:47 - WIKI TWEAKS - Misheard oboes and going to the device 00:13:36 - A MAN WHO COULD FLY - How SUPERMAN II was made for "me" 00:21:36 - COMIC TROPES - thought balloons and Brent hates Archie   00:31:05- CLARK OR KAL-EL - the tragic conundrum of a secret identity 00:45:00 - BATMAN V SUPERMAN V SUPERMAN II - Zack Snyder might not get Superman 00:51:43 - ERNEST DESPITE CAMP - at the core of a couple of guys in capes 00:57:15 - SOME GOOFY MOVIES - these are characters for kids ... right? 01:01:40 - SUPERMAN II RETURNS - finally (kind of) talking about Superman II 01:10:42 - STOP SHARING UNIVERSES - where are the new ideas? 01:15:31 - CLOSINGS - Contacts, plugs and no catchphrase / "Pow, Bam Zonk"

Watch the original theatrical trailer for SUPERMAN II (featuring both the Eiffel Tower and the moon) HERE.

See a series of cut scenes from SUPERMAN II that were restored to its original ABC television broadcast HERE.

Catch three of the four parts to a 1980s documentary on the making of SUPERMAN II right HERE.

Tolerate Bob's favorite scene from a comic book movie HERE.

And, most importantly, check out the original theatrical trailer for MEGAMIND, the animated Dreamworks feature film co-created and written by today's guest Brent Simons HERE.

The use of audio and video clips linked from YOUTUBE are for educational purposes and without the expressed permission of their legal holding companies.  All rights remain with with their original distributor.

Stream the full length feature "SUPERMAN II" on AMAZON VIDEO  ITUNES and VUDU. Stream the original, full-length animated feature "MEGAMIND" on ITUNES, AMAZON VIDEO and GOOGLEPLAY.   All sites unaffiliated with 20th Century Popcast and Calamity House Productions.  Rental and subscription rates may apply.

This episode of 20TH CENTURY POPCAST was recorded by ZENCASTR, a high fidelity podcast recording platform that records multiple guests from multiple zip-codes all as if they were in the same room.   Log on for studio quality recordings NOW! (exclamation point also provided by ZENCASTR)

MUSIC FEATURED IN TODAY'S EPISODE:

"Love Theme From Superman" as composed and conducted by John Williams for the 1978 soundtrack to SUPERMAN: THE MOTION PICTURE.

"Superman" as covered by REM off their 1986 album LIFE'S RICH PAGEANT.

"Pow! Bam! Zonk!" performed by some guy dressed as Superman in an actual 1968 Broadway musical entiled "IT'S A BIRD ... IT'S A PLANE ... IT'S SUPERMAN." 

The use of these songs are for entertainment purposes and without the expressed permission of the recording artist.

Subscribe to 20TH CENTURY POPCAST! on ITUNES and GOOGLE PLAY  or stream it at www.20popcast.com .

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Contact the show with any questions, suggestions or possible topics at 20popcast@gmail.com, #20popcast on Twitter and the POP TALK section of www.20popcast.com

Follow today's special mystery guest BRENT SIMONS @brentsimons on TWITTER and check out his full-length animated Dreamworks feature MEGAMIND on Blue-Ray, Laser Disc, 8-Track and the streaming platforms listed above. Follow ROBERT CANNING @rhcanning on TWITTER. Read his web-comic at  EXAGGERATEDLIFE.wordpress.com and his music blog at superultramegamix.wordpress.com.  

Follow TIM BLEVINS @subcultist on TWITTER, as SUBCULTIST on INSTAGRAM and support his full length feature film and further video projects at  SUBSTITUTECULTURE.com .

20TH CENTURY POPCAST! will return next week with BINGE AND PODCAST