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halfkryptn · 5 years

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* BREAKING APART IN POINTS : BENDIS EDITION !

Comics: Man of Steel (2018) and Superman (2018). Other materials mentioned may be Super Sons (2017) and Adventure of Super Sons (2018).

A few warnings, that: (1) Beware of spoilers, if you’re interested in reading any of the comics above. If not, yeah my dude, go crazy. (2) This might not make sense since I’m pretty sure I’m rambling and have no specific idea on what truly I am doing ever with my entire life. Hopefully, once the current issues end (which, at this point, idk if I’ll honestly be following), there’s a more thorough and proper grasp on how my interpretation might go from there written much better.

Until then, have my thoughts sized up in point forms based on the garbage — I mean, material — that I’ve been given. Enjoy.

I’m just gonna go straight to the point.

Summary:

In Superman (2018), we discover that Clark’s alone. And he’s fighting. And there’s a lot of thoughts he’s processing about his journey and moral dilemmas etc. We found out in the first page that Jon and Lois are on a space trip with Jor-El, Clark’s birth father.

That’s all explained back in Man of Steel (2018) which, as I’ve read, was, fortunately for Bender, wasn’t that far off from how Tomasi has written Jon. There’s that softness in him that’s still there, and humours that only ten-year-olds and very Jon Kent-like that he executed, so I’m at least applauding Bendis for sticking to the interpretation of Jon we all knew so well.

Positive:

In all of that lack of butchering on Jon’s character from Man of Steel (2018), I do appreciate Bendis properly further pick apart Jon’s insecurities, especially after the whole solar flare thing and the prophecy that alternate version of Tim Drake brought.

I also cannot help but to appreciate how thoroughly well Bendis wrote on the reactions from both Lois and Clark at Jon’s sudden outburst regarding his insecurity, as well. Clark, especially, gave Jon excellent advises.

Here are the dialogues:

Jon discussing the prophecy.

Jon: Then why do I grow up to kill million of people?! Lois: What? Clark: What is this? Jon, frantically: There is another reality, okay? And I have seen it! Where -- where I grew up to be Superman, okay?! And then —— oh yeah, I kill millions of people with my out-of-control solar flare power!! That happens!

Clark giving the advice.

Clark: We can’t worry about all the different realities and timelines. I told you, it’s all just —— you have to focus on what is in here. And what you put out there. You worry about you. Not the other you or the other other you. ...or the guy that looks like you but he has a big goatee so we know he’s really the evil you. Jon: That guy’s actually funny... Clark: Those boys are just other boys. Just like Damian is a different boy. And just like you can’t be responsible for everything Damian does, you can’t be responsible for all of those other boys do too. Be your own self, and you are doing it, buddy. Every day. We’re so proud of you.

Jon opening up about his insecurity.

Jon: They rejected me. Clark: Who? Jon: The Titans. Lois: The Titans of--? Jon: The Teen Titans. The— The Gold Standard of the Superhero Team Dynamics. Clark, whispering: Well, Justice League is really the Gold-- Jon: They said I wasn’t good enough! They said “Come back in a few years”! Clark: So? You will. Jon: But they rejected me because there’s something wrong with me!

So, yeah, Jon has never truly felt comfortable in his skin. Of course, there’s a lot to unpack from these dialogues and Jon’s journey so far as Superboy and what it all means, but we’re not going into details about that today. Point from these was: that it was in-character.

In fact, I was actually disappointed when this issue regarding Jon being rejected and the prophecy being told wasn’t previously addressed or addressed more, and when it was confronted out like these? It was actually refreshing to read.

Moving on, Jor-El offered to let Jon travel with him to find out who he is or whatever (I really couldn’t care less) and Lois decided that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. So she went along, and both Jon and her promised they’d be back once the Summer ends.

Ok. This is an important detail: Jor-El and the Kents stroke a deal to return before school starts. We continue.

Negative.

It starts getting wonky from there. The series leap back to Superman (2018), present time I assume, and Clark’s having these flashbacks of his perfect family when they were with him. Oh, and did I mention? He lost the only communication device that he had to connect with Lois and Jon.

We’re revealed in a flashback on an incident where Jon was complaining about school. Okay, let’s stop it right here. No.

There’s been several canon materials all throughout the Super Sons issues on how Jon likes school. Maybe, yeah, he’s not fond of the schoolwork. Typical. But he’s participated in school activities, he was engaging with his teachers, he was sociable to the point of being generally likeable all around that he was invited to a pool party.

Moving forward, Clark’s in this adventure of going through obstacles to save Earth while longing for his family, when, while deep in his thoughts about finding his father, he was approached by his son. Yup, Jon Kent.

But not any Jon Kent: an older version of him. His shoulders are broad, his face lost its baby fat, and he grew in into his much larger and sculpted form as he hovers and tells his Dad not to worry.

It has also been pointed out in leaked covers that Jon may be portrayed as sinister and... a killer.

Continuity Error.

Now not only we have small details that work against one another regarding Jon’s personality ( *refer to my argument on how Jon likes school above ) , I’m also caught confused by this interstellar bullshit they’re trying to pull and, understandably, could relate to many angry fans.

It doesn’t make sense and it isn’t fair. Admittedly, the flow of the story was still salvageable and Jon’s willingness to be separated from his father to properly get a hold of who he is, isn’t, yet, something to haul my pitchforks up for. Jon had even voiced out his concern about being brought back before school starts, and now we blasted by this appearance of him skipping about, oh, six to seven years of his life?

Not only that, we were robbed of Jon’s lovely growth and characterisation that Tomasi has carefully built.

Think about it: wouldn’t Jon have demanded to return? Not only he had schools, obligations he knew he can’t afford to miss as Superboy and Jon Kent, but he’s a person who loves the people he knew and he was whole-heartedly devoted to Earth, which he had called his home a few times throughout his featured appearances because, guess what, Earth is the only fucking home he knows.

And he made a promise to come home to his father. He made a promise to stand by Damian’s side, which, I think, at this point in his life, was a vow he’s taken to heart (since the vow involved his dad doubting Damian which, I think, he won’t stand for). He has family and friends that he adores like Kara, Kathy, Maya, Georgia etc. He wouldn’t abandon the people he cares for just like that. And even if he was somehow heavily influenced by Jor-El, wouldn’t Lois be raising her voice once the she figured out the communicator wasn’t working?

Let’s not even get into the fact that, with Adventures of Super Sons (2018) existing simultaneously with this issue, both of these stories clashes with each canon materials.

In Bendis’ interpretation, Jon went on and grew up in out-of-space directly after the events of the solar-flare and the rejection during Summer. Meanwhile Tomasi continues to write Jon having multiple adventures with Damian in the exact same season. You guessed it: Summer. The season Jon supposedly isn’t on Earth at all.

Then again, of course, one can argue that maybe this isn’t the same summer when they’ve hinted Jon outgrowing his Superboy clothes. But consider: Why would Jon still be hung up on the same worry from when he was a ten-year-old, if this had happened when he was eleven? Or Twelve? If he’d been older, I bet this is a worry he would’ve blurted out sooner than to let it simmer till he’s eleven or twelve.

Tomasi also hinted that the adventures didn’t stop between the son of Batman and son of Superman, and that Jon and Damian actually grows up together.

So, yeah. Continuity error. Clashes of plot. Whatever you call it, it’s here.

In Conclusion.

There’s still so many issues of the current series that I, admittedly, haven’t gone through since it’s yet to be published. So, I don’t know. Maybe Bendis will shock me into accepting his canon, or maybe I’ll continue to live in a make-believe world where Jon was never abducted by his grandfather and, instead, works his issues out with the people who’re already there.

please don’t reblog !!

#me: oh this is just gonna be Quick! because im definitely writing this in point form ;)#my ass an hour later : bish yA THOUGH!!!!!#✩ * RED CAPE : META.#long post for ts

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xb-squaredx · 7 years

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The Lego Batman Movie: The Best Batman Film Ever Made

Reading that title out loud, I know that sounds absurd. How can a film that’s meant to sell toys and stars a supporting character from ANOTHER movie about toys stand up to the Caped Crusader’s other films? Well, I’ve been dying to talk about it (and really missed the boat on doing so!), so if you’ll join me under the break I’ll be happy to explain!

If I can sum up why The Lego Batman Movie trumps all other Batman films in one sentence, I’d have to say that it is the film is a distillation of all of the best parts of the Batman universe. That’s not to say that these other films (with some choice exceptions) are bad and disrespect Batman in anyway, but I’d still put Lego Batman at the top because it acknowledges that Batman is a character with multiple different interpretations and tones, and pays tribute to all of them. Lego Batman is both a parody of Batman, and a surprisingly deep examination of the character that you’d find in more serious Batman stories too, and the crew behind the film was able to do that without making him dark and gritty.

Ever since the days of Frank Miller and stories like The Killing Joke Batman has predominantly been redesigned as a dark, brooding character, with adaptations of him being primarily serious affairs. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that….to a point. But people seem to forget that Batman wasn’t always like that; after all, the campy Adam West Batman show was, at the time, an accurate reflection of what the character was like in the comics. Back in the day ALL superheroes were goofy and campy, especially in the Silver Age of comics. Of course, nowadays this grittiness seems to have bled over to MOST comics, so Batman’s not some exception here. I suppose part of why The Lego Batman Movie resonated with me was because it felt like a breath of fresh air. Batman has been stuck in a gritty, joyless rut for a while and seeing something that wasn’t afraid to be fun and optimistic was a genuine relief.

Of course, even with Lego Batman being probably the most fun version of the character in years, there are still some more serious moments. The crew behind this film found a way to acknowledge some of the darker aspects of the character while still delivering a movie that’s a bright, kid-friendly comedy and they should be applauded for marrying the two tones. A big part of the film is showing just how lonely and vulnerable Batman really is, how becoming Batman is more and more of an escape, but it doesn’t dwell on it for any longer than necessary. The film shows me that the crew totally understands Batman as a character, and they respect his legacy. Basically anything there is to love about Batman is here in full-force, from the crazy gadgets, to the ridiculous supervillains. And then there’s the matter of the Bat Family…

The Bat Family is something we’ve been sorely lacking in a lot of other incarnations of the character lately. The most recent animated adaptations of the character (Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and Beware the Batman) focus more on Batman teaming up with lesser-known heroes for the former, and in the latter, takes on the character Katana as a partner, with neither Batgirl or any kind of Robin in sight. And as for movies…well, the less said about Batman and Robin the better, and while the sly reference to Robin in The Dark Knight Rises is nice, it can’t compare to seeing Batman, Robin, Batgirl and even Alfred working together in The Lego Batman Movie. The film takes the idea of Batman working alone and treats it as one big joke, showing that as smart and strong as he is, there are things he can’t do alone. Aspects of Batman’s character get shown off as he interacts with Barbara, Dick and Alfred that wouldn’t be seen otherwise, resulting in some fun character moments and eventually builds up to a pretty heartwarming ending.

Various other darker aspects of the Batman character get explored here, resulting in an incarnation that is deceptively deep. I’m not saying Lego Batman is the most well-rounded or executed version of the character, but there’s more to him than just being a walking parody of Batman. Early in the movie, Bruce Wayne must make an appearance at a party and while it’s funny that Batman throws a childish tantrum over going, it hits on something deeper. Various other Batman media explore the fact that Bruce Wayne gets pushed into the background more and more, with Batman becoming an escape for Bruce, eventually swallowing him up until Batman is all that remains. Lego Batman is throwing a tantrum because he LOVES being Batman and doesn’t feel at home in his own skin anymore. It becomes clear that being Bruce Wayne is an act.

(I mean...c’mon! Can’t even bring himself to remove the cowl!)

Throughout the film, Batman’s loneliness is shown, be it at not being invited to the Justice League’s anniversary party, or the fact that Wayne Manor is located on an island, a pretty on-the-nose metaphor, but one that’s poignant nonetheless. Now, a LOT of Batman adaptations show that he works alone, but few really ever do more than just bring it up. The Lego Batman movie goes a few steps further and weaves that into the narrative. Batman works alone because he’s afraid of growing close to anyone only to lose them again, but multiple characters repeatedly reach out to him, and the film makes a point of showing how this isolation is detrimental to the character. Yes, it sure is fun to be Batman, but when he gets back to his cave and has no one to greet him, it puts things in perspective.

Lastly, as a lifetime consumer of Batman-related media, I was extremely happy to see so much of the Batman mythos referenced in the film. Villains, both mainstream and obscure, make an appearance, with the vast majority being blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameos. We somehow got a movie with Poison Ivy, Bane, Joker and Condiment King (yes, he’s real) all in the same place, and that alone should be respected. I’m sure there are jokes or references that only ten people will get, but that goes to show that the people making the movie love the character and wanted to convey that. Every movie and animated series gets some kind of a nod, the Adam West series also getting a decent amount of play. While it might be nice to get darker, more introspective looks at the character, it was nice to have a movie that was fun, that reminded me of why I liked Batman in the first place. Sure, you can take a darker, grittier look at Batman sometimes, but we also like him because he has a lot of cool, overly-specific gadgets, wears a cape and always saves the day.

I’ll make it no secret that the “DC Extended Universe” interpretation of the character feels like a slap in the face, so Lego Batman was a welcome relief. It was reassuring that there’s SOME people at Warner Bros. that can make a Batman movie where he isn’t branding people or shooting guns or talking about wanting to kill other heroes. It was refreshing to see a Gotham that was full of color. It was amazing to see the Bat Family fighting side-by-side on the big screen. But most of all, it was surprising to see that a Batman made of plastic bricks could be such a well-constructed interpretation of the character. So if you haven’t gotten the message by now, The Lego Batman Movie is a fantastic distillation of all of the things that makes Batman great, it’s hilarious and blows Zach Snyder’s “Murderman” out of the water, so I give it a hearty recommendation. Until next time.

-B

#xb-squaredx #blog #lego batman #dc comics #robin #batgirl #adam west

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