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https://boundingintocomics.com/2023/02/15/writer-chuck-dixon-reacts-to-chris-wozniaks-legal-battle-over-the-batman-im-on-team-chris-and-you-should-be-too/?fbclid=IwAR2GGRptz7oTYBUjKaY3T-EEUPzQGOmUN96S16ZccNoopwT2CQZL1SILerI

I heard about this alleged plagiarism story last year, but I didn't think much of it because I have no desire to ever watch the movie and judge if these claims were real or not.

I thought it was very likely Chris Wozniak could've been a lying attention seeker, until not only did Chuck Dixon support the guy, he shared his own experience with WB and their shady dealings in trying to mine story ideas for content. As Dixon explained in the video embedded in that article, he had to carefully not name anyone directly to avoid getting sued, but you can tell he was talking about Michael Uslan, the long-time Batman film producer with who Wozniak has specifically accused of stealing his story. The fact that Dixon walked out of the meeting because he knew he'd get screwed over if he cooperated is a pretty damning look on Uslan.

Thinking about it now, I can see how the claims line up with some details over the years: how the Riddler was expected to be the new villain in Nolan's third film, how Sam Hamm's Batman copycat subplot in his canceled Batman II script ended up in TDK. It appears Uslan uses material he has access to adapt in future films, and it seems it does this without compensating anyone who came up with such ideas. The problem is the creators don't own the IP themselves, so they're open to being taken advantage of. Because of that, I can see how the studio hasn't done anything technically wrong, according to the law. It sucks, it may be unethical, but it's not necessarily illegal. The biggest problem facing Wozniak's case is he pitched his story treatment to DC and Uslan himself, so if he had ambitions to get credited for his work then he was extremely naive.

Nonetheless, Wozniak isn't holding back on Twitter, including the condemnation of facing a counter lawsuit by DC Comics for supposedly writing an unsolicited Batman story. Dixon reckons that's just as ludicrous as suing every person who wrote Batman fan-fiction.











I'm rather surprised Wozniak went so far to sue Uslan and WB, because last year he admitted in a livestream that he didn't have the money to take them to court and he knew how powerful they are. He's either brave or stupid, but he is determined to get this known by many people as possible. All I can say is if Wozniak is telling the truth 100% then I wish him all the best.

A few years ago, I read this back issue of Detective Comics titled The Last Laugh, written by Mike W. Barr. It begins with Batman and Robin entering an underground nightclub to interrogate the shady owner called Profile, who knew about a robbery committed by the Joker. What made me start this thread was this rather surprising moment; when Profile refused to co-operate, Batman not only threatened to frame the guy by planting his fingerprints at another future crime scene, he went so far as to scare the guy with the danger of prison rape.



When Profile gave up the Joker's hideout, Batman destroyed the glass containing his fingerprints and looked at Profile with a sinister smile, saying "I like you, Profile. You got good sense".

Looking at how this issue was released in January 1987, this would've been post-Dark Knight Returns, so that would explain Batman's questionable tactics taking another turn. I've noticed a lot of comics during that era got progressively darker with imagery and subtext that would've been prohibited years earlier, but I got to say, I was rather surprised to see the DC editorial team - led by Denny O'Neil at the time - didn't take much issue with the idea of Batman intimidating criminals and suspects with frame-ups and prison rape. Even going so far as to have Batman take some glee in doing so.

Although I do think Batman could resort to such dirty tactics to interrogate criminals, I'm still surprised that O'Neil and co would allow this to get published. On the other hand, Batman is a violent vigilante who has caused serious bodily harm if you stop and think about it, so is making such threats really beneath him? I guess it is unsettling if you look at the character from a simple black-and-white perspective.

Furthermore, this moment goes to show the Comics Code logo printed on the front cover of this issue was rendered useless.

I love the action in the alley fight scene. But one strange instance that always got my curiosity was right after Vicki took a picture from above, where you can see Bob the Goon and co had removed Batman's cowl to the point you could see his face. I kinda got the impression Vicki came to Batman's rescue right on time, because if she was a split second late then the Joker goons would've compromised Batman's identity.



Nothing else to add, other than I just love the grit and grime of that whole set, it's a worthy location for a fight scene. After the warehouse scene in BvS, it is still my favourite action scene in the entire Batman film history.

Despite all the chaos going on at DC, Snyderverse fans haven't given up and are now petitioning to get that universe licensed out to Netflix, starting with a new social media trending event on Tuesday 14th of February. Snyder himself has gone on VERO liking half a dozen posts supporting the idea.



https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-snyder-approved-beloved-director-zack-snyder-adds-to-the-flame-for-getting-snyder-verse-to-netflix-and-ditch-dceu/

Curiously, the creepy jackass James Gunn tried to dismiss the movement on social media today:

I have to say, this has got to be the wackiest hashtag ever since 1) Netflix hasn't expressed any such interest (although we've discussed other stuff) & 2) Zack hasn't expressed any interest & seems to be happy doing what he's doing (and, yes, we too have talked).

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1623783726529515520

Gunn's clearly lying about Snyder not expressing interest, as you can tell by the screenshot attached. Never mind the fact he made sure to finish ZSJL on a cliffhanger, because he clearly wanted to do more.

Having followed his VERO account over the years, Snyder loves to hint to get fans hyped and encourage support for his DC stuff. ZSJL's release is a testament to that. He would've been sincere if he thought any sort of DC revival was a futile effort instead of liking posts on social media and encourage fans to demand for it, such as the time when he post the hashtag #untilitwasnt while hinting cancelled plans for the JL sequel four years ago. Yes, Snyder is happy at Netflix since they treat him very well, but going by his online activity and comments post-ZSJL, he'd still love to finish his DC arc if given the chance.

I find it rather odd that Gunn reacted on the day it was announced a live action TV series adapatation of Spider-Man: Noir is under development at Amazon. Kinda gives off the impression that licensing other character portrayals to other streaming services is actually possible. If he is so secure about this new DC slate, then why the hell does he care about a so-called "minority" call for an alternative?

Anyway, Gunn tweeted this:

He contacted me to express his support about my choices. He's a great guy. Again, he seems really happy with the massive world building he's doing now.

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1623785325725356032

Considering Snyder recorded a video message congratulating Cavill for his short-lived Superman comeback and expressed to working with him again in the near future, I strongly doubt Snyder would've been very happy about the news that Cavill got kicked out by Gunn and Safran, as well as their decision to undergo a reboot in such a lousy way.

Gunn has a track record of lying, from saying he has no interest in writing Superman to writing a script, from saying he doesn't want the DC CEO job to taking a partnership with Safran. Even going so far by saying TSS broke trailer viewership records without backing that claim up with any data. So, unless Snyder himself suddenly confirms this is all true, excuse me if I suspect Gunn is bullsh*tting. 

As for whether or not I think #SellSnyderVerseToNetflix will happen? As much as I hope for it to happen, I honestly think it's unlikely. Yes, WBD would do themselves a huge favour by licensing it out to ease their heavy debts, but I have no confidence after destroying their credibility by hiring Gunn and Safran in the top roles, and the whole shocking PR mess that erupted since. There might be other factors we're not privy about, i.e. potential broken relationships after the Miller and Heard situations, possible interference by DC Studios etc. We've seen how egos are out of control at Warners.

I'll never discourage any fan to show their support for Snyderverse on Netflix. I am, however, going to keep my expectations low.

Somebody used MidJourney to envision how Burton's Batman would look like if it was adapted as a 90s TV show, but it borrows too heavily from the Arkhamverse games. The 0:47 mark is the only shot that resembles Keaton. Worth sharing anyway.

https://r-alejandro-mendez.medium.com/the-uncomfortable-friendship-of-james-gunn-and-huston-huddleston-c1e920258516

https://twitter.com/PoRican/status/1424875660535808003 ***

***(Jimmy Urine once claimed he is a friend of Gunn, and even appeared in GOTG Vol. 2)
https://www.altpress.com/jimmy_urine_secret_cinematic_sounds/

I realise Hollywood is a place full of sin, but I still can't believe Gunn is now given a co-head role at DC Studios. I guess this is what happens when too many people dismiss such horrendous comments as "edgy jokes", even though there are warning signs of him "joking" with friends who are either convicted pedophiles or accused as such.

The first link I read mentions how Gunn requested to have his old website removed from the Wayback Machine on Archive.org. Looking at Gunn's history, he tries to clean up his image by condemning predatory behaviours during the Weinstein scandal and even mentioned how he was shunned from speaking about kids getting abused by priests while growing up. This was a year before the controversy that initially got him fired by Disney.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/james-gunn-shares-personal-plea-stop-sexual-predators-hollywood-1047074/

I'm led to believe this man is being sincere? Sorry, I call bullsh*t. Actions speak louder than words.

A lot has been said over the last few days about the future of DC films and where things might be going. Honestly, despite expressing my disbelief at the prospect of seeing everything getting rebooted while money is still going down the drain with reshoots and additional photography, I don't think I care anymore. Gunn could announce restoring the Snyderverse or Keaton's Batman Beyond, I still wouldn't be as enthused as I otherwise would've been if he weren't in charge.

As much as I would like to see some of my favourite DC actors again, there are far more important issues than movies. I don't know for sure if Gunn is a pedophile or not. For all I know, he might be another enabler, like every single person he condemns in his Facebook post. But I personally don't feel comfortable watching something produced by his studio company, knowing about his very dubious background. If the Ezra Miller stuff this year wasn't already bad enough, this has definitely deterred me.

Thirty years later. Time flies.

The first episode I ever watched was Mad as a Hatter, back in 1993. Great introduction to the show, from the Gothic and 40s-esque scenary and atmosphere, from Batman's detective work to watching the Mad Hatter being one of many tragic, sympathetic characters who would become prominent identities among Batman's rogues' gallery. The first time I heard of the music and Elfman's theme inspiring it cemented it in my mind even further.

Everyone talks about the art style of the show, but what I loved about Mad Hatter's character design is how his toothy grin seemed very similar to the Cheshire Cat, another Alice in Wonderland character. Whether or not that was intentional, it's yet another comical little detail that made the show stand out from all the other cartoons, even to this very day.

The TV channel that I used to watch it on aired episodes out of sequence, so the following week I saw Christmas with the Joker, the Two-Face episodes and I've Got Batman in My Basement. It didn't matter to me, I was hooked on this show for every Saturday morning. Lots of laughs and lots of scares, from Joker's shenanigans to Two-Face and Scarecrow's terrifying moments. Not many cartoons like this had this appeal to all ages.

When TNBA debuted in 1997, I must admit to not giving it much of a chance. I was too stubborn in my mind to ever see another Robin that's not Dick Grayson, or Dick moving on to become Nightwing. Perhaps the very best of BTAS and its atmosphere worked too well for me, to the point it took me years to give TNBA a proper chance. Ultimately, TNBA has its own strong moments, but the first couple of seasons BTAS still holds very dear to me.

That's enough of me babbling on. Which was the very first episode you remembered watching thirty or so years ago?

I've been reading some Wolverine comics for quite some time, and I've come to realise I prefer to read him when he comes across as an outsider i.e. the 1982 Frank Miller four issue run or when he struggles to contain his animalistic side.

The biggest thing that made me fed up about the character was whenever he's written to have sexual tension with Jean Grey. I never bought it in the X-Men animated series or the movies and I can't buy into the comics either, I felt it was always a contrived attempt at a love triangle to build further hostility with Cyclops. I believe his relationships with Yukio and Mariko is more natural in the sense they represent one side of Wolverine, one is just as thrill-seeking and adventerous as he is and the other brings out his more gentler, humane, sensitive side. Putting that together in a story where he is in Japan fighting the Yakuza mob as Mariko was trapped in a forced marriage makes the character a lot more interesting. I realised the Miller run was partly adapted in that 2013 Wolverine movie as well as the Wolverine anime series I watched awhile ago, and while I thought the anime series was fine for what it was, the comics by Miller are better than both adaptations.

As far as Wolverine dealing with animalistic rage, I read a couple of stories, the first was under the Season One series - which was a retelling of his origin story and a partial retelling of Wolverine's debut appearance in The Incredible Hulk, where he fought Hulk and Wendigo as a military operative. He's found by a couple who would become members of Alpha Flight and became a government agent training to control his rage under Heather Hudson, but his impulsive animal instincts and endangering Heather puts Logan at odds with Guardian, Heather's husband.

Aside from a few goofy moments in the comic, such as Logan singing the same lullaby that Heather sang to him to calm Wendigo down, the comic does a pretty good job in retelling Logan's journey in controlling his animal side and becoming Wolverine, before he meets Charles Xavier and join the X-Men. Doing so enables him to pity and rescue from the Wendigo, as he sees the Canadian government using mutants and other beings abused for military gain and tries to do whatever he can to spare the same indignant treatment he had experienced. And of course, such a story would be incomplete without his arch-nemesis Sabretooth, taking advantage of an ambitious and ruthless Canadian government looking to cement itself as a world power at all costs to have his little vendetta against Wolverine.

In terms of stories that impressed me the most, however, is the one written by Tom DeFalco and drawn by John Buscema called Bloody Choices. It's the second chapter in a Wolverine/Nick Fury trilogy, where Logan and Fury are at odds with each other over a crime boss who is working as an an informant for SHIELD. Wolverine is thirsty for blood when he realises the culprit is responsible for child molestation, but faces resistance from Fury, because the crime lord's co-operation and testimony has potential to help SHIELD for a major drug bust. It's a pretty heavy and violent story, but I appreciate the differences between the characters' abiding to certain principles, even though they agree with each other over the despicable nature of the crime, and they have a great battle towards the end as Logan won't stop at nothing to avenge the kids, even risking going beserk on Fury. The book also has this ambiguous character called Shiv, another mutant who is similar to Wolverine and it implies for a moment the two may be brothers.

Despite the dark nature of Bloody Choices, my favourite moment in the comic is a light-hearted one, where Wolverine goes to a bar together with Fury in costume, and a drunk ridiculed his mask asking him if he was supposed to be a cheap Batman imitation, and Wolverine punches him in the gut saying "Nah, I'm a darker, grittier version of the Easter bunny, here's an egg for you". I'm aware there was some criticism about this comic because it supposedly undermines the character development that Chris Claremont went through to make Wolverine overcome his murderous instincts, but as a standalone story, I enjoy it.

Any other Wolverine stories and recommendations I should check out?

Larry Fong was the same cinematographer who worked on both BvS and Chip 'n Dale, so that might explain the cheeky gags over Batfleck and E.T. This movie was littered with Easter eggs, even "ugly" Sonic makes an appearance from what I've heard.

Marvel Studios now has the rights to use Stan Lee's likeness and recreate him digitally for whatever commercial enterprise they have in mind. For twenty years.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/stan-lee-marvel-studios-licensing-deal-1235149039/

I don't like this at all. I think using modern technology to "bring back" the dead is rather creepy, and the fact that Lee was exploited in the last few years of his life makes the matter even more unsettling. Even if he had given his permission for Marvel to do this, he was quite frail and it's very possible he didn't understand what he was getting into.

I find this whole deal to be very distasteful for a man who is no longer alive and doesn't have a say over how his likeness is used. Marvel might as well recreate Chadwick Boseman to bring back T'Challa while they're at it.

It's awful, shame on all parties involved. Let the man rest in peace.

I see some people still think Lex's callback to Senator Finch's "Granny's Peach Tea" quote before the Capitol bombing was some sort of joke, and complain how "cringe" it is. I've noticed a lot of these people try to use this scene as some sort of "gotcha" against anyone who complains about the humour in other DC films.

Here's the thing though: there was nothing funny about the moment at all. Finch was a political roadblock who tried to undermine Lex from gaining access to the Kryptonite, and Lex began to suspect she was onto him. As crass as the jar might be, Lex using Finch's own words against her was a crude way to eliminate a threat to his plans, as well as the chance to rob Superman the chance to speak for himself at the hearing, and further increase tension and paranoia over his impact on society.

Whether or not the scene is "cringe" is up to the eye of the beholder. I, for one, don't find it any more cringe than some of sh*t that passes for comedy in the so-called Hamadverse productions. Some of it wouldn't be accepted in the MCU, even at its goofiest moments.

This is the first time I've ever seen this compilation, but for those who grew up in the US watching BTAS on FOX and Kids WB, you might remember hearing Mark Hamill doing his Joker voice to promote upcoming episodes in the closing credits and in commercials. Here is a trip down memory lane, though you might need to adjust your sound a bit because the tape recording has this annoying feedback that comes and goes.

Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman are the latest shows to be canceled. Somewhere, Ruby Rose is having the last laugh.

https://people.com/tv/dc-legends-of-tomorrow-batwoman-both-canceled-at-the-cw/#:~:text=Legends%20of%20Tomorrow%20and%20Batwoman%20are%20saying%20goodbye%20to%20The,to%20showrunners%20for%20each%20project.

Earlier this year, there was talk that CW is expected to be sold, and the network hasn't been profitable since 2006.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/the-cw-for-sale-warnermedia-viacomcbs-1235070616/

I've only watched the first season of Legends of Tomorrow, and enjoyed it for what it was, but I stopped watching halfway through the second season, including The Flash's third season. I got tired by the formula, and judging from what I watched the Elseworlds and COIE crossovers, the quality got even worse. Flash only got renewed for another thirteen episodes for the next season, but beyond, it doesn't sound like it has a future.

With word going around that WBD wants a much more cohesive shared universe for DC, it will be interesting to see what happens next.

This video is very critical of TNBA, otherwise known as the third season of BTAS.

I must admit, when I first watched these TNBA episodes, I did have some doubts if they really belonged in the same timeline as BTAS. This video did speak my mind in some respects, with the changes in some character's attitudes and retconning character conclusions. When you watched Second Chance and Mudslide in BTAS, you could be forgiven for thinking these episodes were the definitive endings for Two-Face and Clayface.

While it's true that TNBA isn't as good as BTAS as a whole, some of the best episodes like Old Wounds, Holiday Knights and Mad Love are still right up there among the best in the DCAU Batman run. The argument to suggest they should've been been told earlier in TNBA is valid, but I'm just glad they were made.

Zack Snyder is directing a new sci-fi fantasy film at Netflix, and he will be reuniting with Jena Malone (who appeared in Sucker Punch and BvS Ultimate Edition) AND Ray Fisher. Here are some of the plot details:

Sofia Boutella is leading the ensemble in the story of a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy that is threatened by the armies of a tyrannical regent named Belisarius. Desperate, the colonists dispatch a young woman with a mysterious past to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them make a stand.

Character details are about as easy to find as an honest galactic mercenary, but sources say Hounsou is playing a character named General Titus (good/bad guy status unknown), Bae [Doona] is a nemesis who is proficient with a sword, while Fisher is a resistance fighter named Blood Axe.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/rebel-moon-charlie-hunnam-ray-fisher-zack-snyder-1235089664/

I'm very happy to see Fisher getting another big break, and playing a character called "Blood Axe". Sounds heavy metal. \m/

Joss Whedon must be very triggered right now.

Snyder has uploaded some concept art for his new project. The first picture was posted awhile ago, and the other three pictures were posted today.









https://twitter.com/ZackSnyder/status/1491502168003784708?cxt=HHwWiMC5mbnU8LIpAAAA

I saw this video analysing the concept art created for B89, some of which I've never seen before. Check it out.

The new trailer for the next MCU show has debuted, starring Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke.

This might be the first Marvel content that has gotten my attention in four years. The only Moon Knight comics I've read was was the original Doug Moench run, where he's basically more or less a Batman clone, who happens to brought back to life by an Ancient Egyptian spirit when he was double-crossed during a mercenary mission. In the original comics, he adopted multiple personas, the billionaire, the taxi driver to find out info going around the street similar to Batman's Matches Malone identity, and as his superhero ego. I've haven't read his later comics, but a friend told me he was reinvented a bit by making him suffer from dissociative personality disorder. I believe that's the direction this show might be going for.

I anticipate Moon Knight will have a bit of that formulaic Marvel humour, but hopefully it doesn't overdue like most of the MCU content does nowadays.

This is a good video analysing how the film noir genre influenced the show. My only complaints are the descriptions for some of the villains are inaccurate, and the video would've been even better if it cited the Fleischer Superman cartoons as an inspiration.

I saw this video of Christopher Reeve promoting Superman movies over the years.

The footage I enjoyed the most was him discussing Superman III. Reeve is right when he says watching a character continue to be a clumsy fool all the time is boring, so having Clark Kent drop that persona was fresh. Even more insightful was the duality of Clark and Evil Superman, and the loathing the two have for each other. I guess Clark's return to Smallville gave him the comfort and realisation he doesn't need to overexaggerate his disguise, and once he spends time with Lana Lang, he can finally relax and be himself.

This perspective is a huge contrast to the online discourse I see about Superman on film nowadays. I've read too many people writing and complaining about Superman movies fail their ideal criteria based on the most superficial nonsense imaginable, such as the lack of smiles, making characters feel good, and even going so far to say any challenge or moral dilemma Superman faces makes him "too dark". I reckon it's one thing to criticise a certain direction for the character, but limiting him as a feel good mascot does him a great disservice.

So with that in mind, would Superman III fare better off if it were released in today's landscape? Judging by the ludicrous criteria these know-it-alls and so-called "purists" have, I don't think so.

I found this deepfake of Sly Stallone as Batman. It's not perfect, but the use of his voice from various movies is amusing.