Recent posts

#1

Other DC Films & TV / Re: Superman (2025)

Last post by Travesty - Today at 17:56

Man, I've been trying to be positive about this new cinematic reboot, but man, I really hate this suit reveal. It's too baggy with lots of padding. It just looks incredibly cheap.

😬

#2

Comic Film & TV / Re: X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)

Last post by Silver Nemesis - Today at 17:34

Maybe it's because I grew up with the animated series, but I always preferred the more physically imposing depictions of Magneto over the frail old man we got in the movies. Hauer looked closer to how I envisage the character in live action. After watching Blind Fury (1989) earlier this year, I'd also keep him on the shortlist for a 1980s Matt Murdock.

But really he was a better physical match for Magneto than Daredevil. As discussed in other threads, he also would've been my top pick of Adrian Veidt in a 1980s Watchmen film.

I have that issue on my bookcase. Even back then, I disagreed with casting Clancy Brown as Sabretooth. He would've been a great Magneto... if Rutger Hauer has other obligations going on. But Hauer is already accounted for, I love Brown but I don't see much else for him in an X-Men movie.

Brown's performance as the Kurgan ranks as one of the most intimidating movie villains of the eighties. If you wanted a younger and more menacing version of Magneto, Brown's voice and height alone would've qualified him.

#3

Animated Batman / Re: The New Adventures of Batm...

Last post by Silver Nemesis - Today at 14:19

But the cartoon's determination to set all (or most?) scenes at night does indicate a desire (on somebody's part) to take Batman in a darker direction.

Were I inclined to put this into some sort of context, my suggestion would be that the TV versions of Batman and Robin had become more active at night because their villains had become more active at night. The Westverse was never going to be very dark. At most, it might become a little poorly lit. But never "dark".

This leads one to believe that there might have been some influence from DC Comics with what Batman comics were then-currently depicting at the time. Considering "New Adventures" aired post-Schwartz/O'Neil/Adams collaboration, the night setting could have been a tip of the hat of some form of synergy between the two.

The nocturnal setting does give the series a darker and sometimes spookier look than most other superhero cartoons from the 1970s. I think Joker's right about it being an attempt to reflect the imagery of the contemporary comics. The Galactic Guardians show (which also starred West) was the pre-DCAU series that best reflected the Bronze Age tone, but that was a Hanna-Barbera production. The New Adventures of Batman is certainly the closest Filmation got to the 1970s comics, even though most of their plots and characterisations were still drawn from earlier eras.

Makes me want to get acquainted with the show, quite frankly. Especially since, as you state, nothing happens that is egregiously opposed to the '66 Batman show's continuity, and this could be considered something of a 'lost 4th season' of the Adam West show, depending on how you want to view it.

In that sense, The New Adventures of Batman can be compared with Star Trek: The Animated Series. Both 1970s Filmation cartoons brought back the actors from a popular 1960s live action show to voice their characters in a cheaper more kid-friendly format. If each of the three live action seasons of Star Trek represents one year of the Enterprise's five-year mission, then the two animated seasons can be seen as years four and five. Similarly The New Adventures of Batman can be seen as year four of Batman and Robin's crime-fighting careers, and year two of Batgirl's.

The absence of Chief O'Hara, Aunt Harriet and Alfred could be explained by them simply moving away from Gotham. Or maybe they're still there and we just don't see them. The Bat-Computer has clearly undergone an upgrade, as has Batman's arsenal of weapons and vehicles, but there's nothing here that West's ingenious Batman couldn't have constructed. I can't offhand think of any discrepancies between this show and the Batman '66 comics either, so it fits into the canon reasonably well.

Good timing with this analysis given the complete series is being released June 25:

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-adventures-of-batman-the-complete-collection-blu-ray/1100-6523099/

That is quite a coincidence. I hadn't heard about the Blu-ray release until now.

#4

Current Runs / Re: Batman Resurrections (Batm...

Last post by Silver Nemesis - Today at 13:52

I'd like something like this too, but I'd prefer it to be handled very carefully. Their relationship seems more hands off and terse even in Returns. I can't imagine anything traditional like the 60s show, or even Nolan. I quite like the idea they communicate mostly with notes, with face to face meetings being very minimal.

I can imagine Hingle's Gordon never quite losing his initial fear of Batman. He grows to trust him, yes, but he's still scared of him. Keaton's Bruce might intentionally cultivate that fear, even among his allies, in order to keep them at bay and prevent them from getting too close to him. That's obviously not what we see in the Schumacher films, where Batman and Gordon appear relaxed in one another's company. But compare that with their interaction in Batman Returns – where Batman doesn't stand still or even look at Gordon and responds tersely when speaking to him – and we see evidence of a more distant relationship between the two.

Maybe Batman kept walking in BR because he didn't want Gordon looking too closely at his face for fear he'd recognise him, similar to how he kept turning away from Vicki and keeping to the shadows when he took her to the Batcave in the 1989 film. Again, this novel needs to show us the Burton Batman, not the comic book version. Seeing how someone so secretive builds a trusting communication channel with his allies, while simultaneously trying to maintain his distance from them, is an intriguing avenue for the novel to explore.

#5

Animated Batman / Re: The New Adventures of Batm...

Last post by The Dark Knight - Today at 10:03

Good timing with this analysis given the complete series is being released June 25:

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-adventures-of-batman-the-complete-collection-blu-ray/1100-6523099/

#6

Current Runs / Re: Batman Resurrections (Batm...

Last post by The Dark Knight - Today at 09:58

I'd also like Miller to address the immediate aftermath of the 1989 movie. Bruce was badly injured, the wreckage of the Batwing lay burning in the streets, and countless Gothamites had been murdered by the Joker. I'd like some insight into how Bruce and the city in general healed following the Joker's reign of terror.

I'd see no problem with the Batwing pieces being sold off as merchandise plotline being used here officially rather than remaining an unused script idea. Even if the author can somehow sprinkle in how the Batmobile's blueprints were eventually obtained.

I'd also like to read about the first proper meeting between Batman and Gordon. Gordon sees Batman during the battle at Axis Chemicals but doesn't speak to him, then we see them talking after the first Red Triangle Gang attack in Batman Returns. There's a missing stage in their relationship that should take place between those two conversations, and which could offer fertile ground for Miller to explore.

I'd like something like this too, but I'd prefer it to be handled very carefully. Their relationship seems more hands off and terse even in Returns. I can't imagine anything traditional like the 60s show, or even Nolan. I quite like the idea they communicate mostly with notes, with face to face meetings being very minimal.
 

#7

Comic Film & TV / Re: X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)

Last post by thecolorsblend - Today at 03:56

I have that issue on my bookcase. Even back then, I disagreed with casting Clancy Brown as Sabretooth. He would've been a great Magneto... if Rutger Hauer has other obligations going on. But Hauer is already accounted for, I love Brown but I don't see much else for him in an X-Men movie.

I thought Singer got it right by casting a wrestler in that role. At 6'9", ~270 lbs and built like a brick $#!+ house, it's hard to argue against Tyler Mane. But if not him, then some other wrestler super jacked wrestler should've gotten the gig.

#8

Comic Film & TV / Re: X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)

Last post by The Joker - Today at 02:25

Another Wizard Magazine X-Men fan casting that goes back to 1995 (probably 1994 given it was a Jan 1995 issue)!





Not going to lie, Wizard really makes me wish that Bryan Singer would have included Tia Carrere as Psylocke in either X1, or X2. Though, a mid-90's X-Men movie where Tia appears as Psylocke is just about as perfect casting as Patrick Stewart was with Professor X quite frankly.

The one casting that sticks out, is Clint Eastwood as Cable. Not bad, BTW. As I could envision Clint during the mid 1990's, being a great Cable, but I don't think he would have ever agreed to playing 2nd, or 3rd fiddle as a supporting player. Definitely not in that stage of his career. Unless the film would have been Cable-centric, and that would have felt very off for X-Men's first ever cinematic movie.

Admittedly, I like the idea of Rutger Hauer as Magneto. At the same time, given the restraints of a movie running time and having to introduce so many characters, in addition to plot, within a film that would have introduced the X-Men concept to the general audiences, Rutger as Magneto comes across as cinematic depiction that's going for something decidedly more in line with the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby original representation, than the Holocaust survivor Chris Claremont incorporated in the character's background/origin. 

If you read those 1960s/1970s X-Men comics prior to Chris Claremont, Magneto was basically a cipher. As nothing about his background, or ethnic heritage was ever revealed. Nor was there anything about his family. And absolutely no question of him being "noble" in any sort of way. Magneto, as originally depicted, was the complete opposite of Xavier. He was, in a nutshell, a complete and unabashed son of a b*tch that wanted to enslave humans (and probably mutants as well given his excessive fanatical personality). I've seen videos and such of people comparing Magneto to Malcolm X, and I just see that as being pure and simple revisionist history. Pick up a Marvel X-Men Essential/Epic/Masterworks trade of the Lee/Kirby era, or even the material following both their departures from the book prior to Claremont's X-Men era, and tell me with a straight face that's a apt comparison. Something tells me Malcolm X would have found that comparison unflattering to say the very least, and for good reason!

In short, concerning the Silver Age Magneto, and with both Stan Lee and Jack Kirby being Jewish, I believe both purposely infused their version of Magneto with the mental state and imagery that was clearly more aligned with nazi idealogy, and ultimately unmistakable shorthand for "This guy is the worst kind of bad."

I still remember when Grant Morrison was wrapping up his "New X-Men" run back in 2003 with "Planet X", Morrison had Magneto absolutely wrecking New York, effectively making him a mass-murderer (only a few years after 9/11, BTW), and the online reaction was something to the effect of, "Morrison is bringing back Magneto to his Silver Age roots!!!".

Admittedly, I didn't completely understand this at the time, given that I had only read very few Pre-Chris Claremont X-Men issues, but now having the Epic Collections of all that Silver/Bronze age material, I know exactly what they meant.

So yeah, Rutger Hauer playing the Lee/Kirby Magneto in the mid-90's?

I'm sure Rutger would have made that work.

#9

Animated Batman / Re: The New Adventures of Batm...

Last post by The Joker - Today at 01:01

Epic post/thread, Silver.

Makes me want to get acquainted with the show, quite frankly. Especially since, as you state, nothing happens that is egregiously opposed to the '66 Batman show's continuity, and this could be considered something of a 'lost 4th season' of the Adam West show, depending on how you want to view it.

But at the same time, depending on how you want to define "dark", this show is noticeably darker than the show. I watched the entire series start to finish years ago. And off-hand, I can't recall a single sequence ever taking place during the daytime. From memory, literally everything takes place at night. Which the Sixties show obviously differed with as many sequences took place in broad daylight.

This leads one to believe that there might have been some influence from DC Comics with what Batman comics were then-currently depicting at the time. Considering "New Adventures" aired post-Schwartz/O'Neil/Adams collaboration, the night setting could have been a tip of the hat of some form of synergy between the two.

#10

Animated Batman / Re: The New Adventures of Batm...

Last post by thecolorsblend - Yesterday at 19:59

I've often wondered what the thinking was behind this show. Because the nods and similarities to the Sixties show are self-evident. Undeniable, frankly.

But at the same time, depending on how you want to define "dark", this animated show is noticeably darker than the TV show. I watched the entire series start to finish years ago. And off-hand, I can't recall a single sequence ever taking place during the daytime. From memory, literally everything takes place at night. Which the Sixties show obviously differed with as many sequences took place in broad daylight.

Bat-Mite was another challenge. While I've never been particularly fond of the character, he could've fit into the live action show fairly easily. I don't think the tone of the show would've been irrevocably destroyed had Bat-Mite been included. In fact, I'll even go out on a limb and suggest that one reason he was omitted from the show was due to how expensive the character's powers might be for a Sixties TV show to bring in to live action.

But the cartoon's determination to set all (or most?) scenes at night does indicate a desire (on somebody's part) to take Batman in a darker direction.

Were I inclined to put this into some sort of context, my suggestion would be that the TV versions of Batman and Robin had become more active at night because their villains had become more active at night. The Westverse was never going to be very dark. At most, it might become a little poorly lit. But never "dark".

Anyway. Welcome back, btw.