DC Comics Multimedia General - A crisis of infinite fuck ups

[Metamorpho]

The extremely limited animation in Caped Crusader is really, really jarring and makes for a rough watch. I know it's a modern day American cartoon and that diversity is to be expected, but every other character now being some flavor of black or brown is just monumentally distracting here. Especially since it's attempting to be a period piece. I only watched the first two episodes, but the focus characters being a black woman in the first episode and a chubby latina in the second also stand out as very deliberate choices. The cast is also fat. Like, so many fatties and chunky girls.

The actual episode plots are okay enough. Standard mob drama with the Penguin in the first and a nice murder mystery in the second. Nothing groundbreaking, but decent enough. If the music was a bit nicer and the animation a little more dynamic, this could stand out a bit better. But, as it is, it's just thoroughly "meh".

It pisses me off so much that the show will probably still succeed because consoomers will see it's a Batman show and eat it right up.

 

[Alexander Thaut]

It pisses me off so much that the show will probably still succeed because consoomers will see it's a Batman show and eat it right up.

also

>asian Harley Quinn
>female Penguin

Ya know if we somehow have fat '40s Alfred it'd balance it all out.

 

[Tor Lugosi]

Finally watched the second half of the season.
- Ep.6, Night Ride was probably my favorite. Felt like a good episode of BTAS.
- Ep.7 Moving Target was mediocre. They wasted and ruined Jim Corrigan and the plot twist is something anyone with a double-digit IQ probably figured out at the start of the episode, which makes every character seem like a retard for not considering it.
- Ep.8 Nocturne could've been good if not for the absolutely retarded Orphanage of Robins. What's the implication here, that he shops for Robins at that specific orphanage? Every time he loses one, he checks back in for a spare? I did like the classic Killer Croc, though.
- Ep. 9 & 10, the Two-Face two-parter, is alright. They really should've spent more time building up Bruce and Harvey's friendship in previous episodes and less on Barbara Gordon and/or Renee, because as it is the sudden deep friendship between Bruce and Harvey has little build up. They develop the split-personality thing too little as well. Killing Dent at the end also feels like a complete waste.
- The final conversation between Alfred and Bruce makes it seem like there was supposed to be some sort of overarching story of Batman teetering on the edge yet I never really get that feeling in the previous episodes. I wonder if it got lost in rewrites or something.

Speaking of Barbara, I liked her character well enough but they definitely spend way too much time with her throughout the season. They go way overboard with making Bullock crooked throughout the season. They also couldn't seem to decide on how dirty Harvey Dent was and it ends up making his transformation into Two-Face less impactful. Lastly, Batman does not come across as a great fighter, he has trouble with random thugs way too often.

Overall I mostly liked it. One of the better shows to premiere in recent years, though that's not saying much. Wonder if they'll improve season two or just double down on focusing too much on Barbara Gordon and needlessly changing up characters.

 

[Scarlett Johansson]

I'm...genuinely impressed with Minnie Driver as Penguin?! She was iconic as Lady Eboshi in Princess Mononoke, so I'm glad she's doing voicework again (she was also Lara Croft at one point). I was ready to cringe at them gender flipping the character but it wasn't terrible tbh.

I wonder if characters like Vicki Vale, Poison Ivy, and Hush will be in the second season? 40s style lol.

 

[FatMebius]

I'm...genuinely impressed with Minnie Driver as Penguin?! She was iconic as Lady Eboshi in Princess Mononoke, so I'm glad she's doing voicework again (she was also Lara Croft at one point). I was ready to cringe at them gender flipping the character but it wasn't terrible tbh.

I wonder if characters like Vicki Vale, Poison Ivy, and Hush will be in the second season? 40s style lol.

The voicecast is all fine. All professionals who do a good job with the somewhat bland material their given. Diedrich Bader as Harvey Dent is probably the standout for me, since it's really playing against type for him and he does the sorta scummier take on Harvey very well.

It pisses me off so much that the show will probably still succeed because consoomers will see it's a Batman show and eat it right up.

Oh yeah. I'm sure it'll do gangbusters. I saw it was the most watched thing on Prime for a few days in a row. Maybe they'll get an actual animation budget for their second season. Or just outsource to TMS like the good ol' days.

 

[From The Uncanny Valley]

The voicecast is all fine. All professionals who do a good job with the somewhat bland material their given. Diedrich Bader as Harvey Dent is probably the standout for me, since it's really playing against type for him and he does the sorta scummier take on Harvey very well.


Oh yeah. I'm sure it'll do gangbusters. I saw it was the most watched thing on Prime for a few days in a row. Maybe they'll get an actual animation budget for their second season. Or just outsource to TMS like the good ol' days.

I don't think TMS outsources anymore (I may be wrong)

 

[Basic Blond Boy]

Oh yeah. I'm sure it'll do gangbusters. I saw it was the most watched thing on Prime for a few days in a row. Maybe they'll get an actual animation budget for their second season. Or just outsource to TMS like the good ol' days.

I wonder if characters like Vicki Vale, Poison Ivy, and Hush will be in the second season? 40s style lol.

Overall I mostly liked it. One of the better shows to premiere in recent years, though that's not saying much. Wonder if they'll improve season two or just double down on focusing too much on Barbara Gordon and needlessly changing up characters.

Not to put a damper on things, but I doubt this show will last regardless of the reception/viewership. The Amazon deal seemed to be a last ditch effort to get rid of it on WB's part. The series was originally slated as a Cartoon Network original to help revive the channel, yet it and My Adventures with Superman got thrown to other places.

Currently MAWS just got its budget and episode count slashed and WB is looking to form everything DC under Gunn now. Batman & Superman were likely just tax write-offs that managed to escape the chopping block given the legal troubles. Would not count on either having a good finale.

https://press.wbd.com/us/media-release/hbo-max-and-cartoon-network-make-series-commitment-batman-caped-crusader?language_content_entity=en

 

[FatMebius]

I don't think TMS outsources anymore (I may be wrong)

Nah, they don't. They strictly do anime these days instead of outsourced work. It was mostly a joke.

Not to put a damper on things, but I doubt this show will last regardless of the reception/viewership. The Amazon deal seemed to be a last ditch effort to get rid of it on WB's part. The series was originally slated as a Cartoon Network original to help revive the channel, yet it and My Adventures with Superman got thrown to other places.

Currently MAWS just got its budget and episode count slashed and WB is looking to form everything DC under Gunn now. Batman & Superman were likely just tax write-offs that managed to escape the chopping block given the legal troubles. Would not count on either having a good finale.

https://press.wbd.com/us/media-release/hbo-max-and-cartoon-network-make-series-commitment-batman-caped-crusader?language_content_entity=en

Oh, I'm not crying if the show never gets another season. The last thing I wanna suffer through is another slide show-Oops. I mean "cartoon" like Caped Crusader again.

 

[TheAmbiguousLurker]

I think she does go after him, actually. After the court mandated sessions she tries to persuade him to stay on as a private client. Which is what she did with all the other victims to try and dig into their psyches and learn their weaknesses before actually abducting them.

Yeah, I think the reason Harley doesn't kidnap Bruce is because she couldn't get anything on him due to the wall he's built around him. Which makes me realize that Harley's later villainy actually fucks up that episode, admonishing Bruce for not giving Harley the chance to help him when it turns out that doing so probably saved his life.

Diedrich Bader as Harvey Dent is probably the standout for me, since it's really playing against type for him and he does the sorta scummier take on Harvey very well.

I wasn't feeling him as Harvey Dent, his voice felt inconsistent and duller than what he's supposed to be expressing at times. And then we get to him getting disfigured and his Two-Face voice is just him speaking slightly more aggressively. Really, everything about Two-Face is off, from the more underwhelming design, to his coin philosophy only being used seriously once just to be dismissed as dumb, to him basically only being Two-Face for one episode where all he does is kill one asshole and scare Thorne, to Harvey basically doing a total 180 at the last minute before he gets the acid because the writer's realized that scumbag Harvey becoming Two-Face has no impact, ect. It honestly feels like they didn't actually want to do Two-Face but were forced by somebody to do him.

 

[Trollblade69]

I feel like a broken record every time I say "there hasn't been a good cartoon since Over The Garden Wall", but it's not like it isn't true.

 

[Basic Blond Boy]

DEADMAN Animated Series Rumored To Be In Early Development At DC Studios​

A new rumor doing the rounds online is claiming that an animated series focusing on Boston Brand, aka Deadman, is in early development at DC Studios...​

DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn promised that Creature Commandos would be the first of many DCU-based animated projects, and we may now know which character the next one will focus on.

According to Nexus Point News, an animated series centred around Deadman is in the early stages of development, though the site notes that no writers or scripts are currently in place and the show has yet to receive an official green light.

This wouldn't be the first time Deadman appeared in animated form, and the supernatural hero almost made his live-action debut on a couple of occasions.

A CW series was in the works way back in 2011 before being shelved, and the character would have been part of the Justice League Dark roster in M3GAN director Gerard Johnstone's now defunct movie along with Swamp Thing, Constantine, and Zatanna.

"There was a lot of the conversations and jostling I had with the guys," the filmmaker told Screen Rant in a recent interview, "because they were like, 'Constantine's the main character.' I was like, 'No, Constantine's kind of the coolest character. But Zatanna is really the main character.' Because she's discovering her magical powers for the first time. But it was fun, man. The characters all went to hell to get Zatanna's dad."

Johnstone's script was only about halfway complete when he got word that the studio had decided not to move forward with the project.

"It was just a tough time for DC, I think. It was just like Justice League came out, didn't do what they wanted it to do. Suicide Squad didn't do what they wanted to do. And so I was just told that they don't want to spend money on another new movie with a bunch of characters no one's heard of, and I understand that. It was a shame."

Introduced in the pages of Strange Adventures back in the '60s, Boston Brand was a circus trapeze artist with the stage-named Deadman who was murdered during a performance by a mysterious assailant known as the Hook.

Brand's spirit was then given the power to possess any living being by the Hindu god Rama Kushna, and he set about attempting to solve the mystery of his murder and bring his killer to justice.

Assuming this project comes to fruition, whoever ends up voicing Deadman will likely play the character in live-action if he ever does make the jump to the big screen.

https://comicbookmovie.com/deadman/deadman-animated-series-rumored-to-be-in-early-development-at-dc-studios-a212570#gs.cuduue

 

[Cantercoin]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this already but DC has started to put out these tankoban-esque collections of comics called DC Compact collections that are all $10 a book and are roughly the size of your average manga volume

 

[Alexander Thaut]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this already but DC has started to put out these tankoban-esque collections of comics called DC Compact collections that are all $10 a book and are roughly the size of your average manga volume
View attachment 6291742

actually not a bad idea but kinda a few years late on this tbh.

plus, I'd imagine there's issues with the size of everything?

this would be pretty good if they just used it as a vehicle for the more beloved titles/arcs. Like a Batman Long Halloween one would probably be neat. Dunno about a wordy one.

 

[Cantercoin]

actually not a bad idea but kinda a few years late on this tbh.

plus, I'd imagine there's issues with the size of everything?

this would be pretty good if they just used it as a vehicle for the more beloved titles/arcs. Like a Batman Long Halloween one would probably be neat. Dunno about a wordy one.

From my understanding these collections are being deliberately chosen that can easily fit the format with little to no problem, although the starting lineup is a bit iffy since there's stuff like some random GL and wonder woman CCs while stuff like the Kingdom Come CC,something that easily could've bolstered this opening lineup, isn't coming out until May of next year

 

[jspit2.0]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this already but DC has started to put out these tankoban-esque collections of comics called DC Compact collections that are all $10 a book and are roughly the size of your average manga volume
View attachment 6291742

I'm aware, it's the usual poor execution for the same reasons.

actually not a bad idea but kinda a few years late on this tbh.

plus, I'd imagine there's issues with the size of everything?

this would be pretty good if they just used it as a vehicle for the more beloved titles/arcs. Like a Batman Long Halloween one would probably be neat. Dunno about a wordy one.

It's a good idea for ONGOINGS. The advantage of this format is readability/it hooks you. You go from number 1 to number 29

Long Halloween doesn't need that. It's a one and done 13 issue arc that sells very well decades after release and makes DC a nice little chunk of money every year. Just like Watchmen, Dark Knight, and Kingdom Come.

The kind of series you would want for these are, say, the Superman triangle years. You, for the time John Byrne launches Man of Steel until the late 90s have over thirty volumes you could release in this format. Price it cheap, newspaper quality, and you count on if they like 1 they'll want 2-30. If not? Well they're dirt cheap to make.

From my understanding these collections are being deliberately chosen that can easily fit the format with little to no problem, although the starting lineup is a bit iffy since there's stuff like some random GL and wonder woman CCs while stuff like the Kingdom Come CC,something that easily could've bolstered this opening lineup, isn't coming out until May of next year

Kingdom Come is something that is best in oversized edition. It's that kind of work.

Right off the bat like you said they did this wrong.

All Star Superman, Watchmen, Joker, KC, and Batman Hush are perennial best seller one off prestige limited series. They are not inter tied and will not move any books beyond that title. Then there are the political choices. Far Sector and Static Shock are chosen because of politics and DEI which is not how publishing a line should work and automatically undermines its performance. Which is bad because with every failed line....looking at you Earth One, consumer confidence declines.

As much as I DON'T like him; Geoff johns GL run is tailor made for this format...note it's not there? But Scott Snyder is. American Vampire, Batman. Those are what the line should have been, long running titles that are cheap and would hook readers from volume one forward.

 

[Alexander Thaut]

It's a good idea for ONGOINGS. The advantage of this format is readability/it hooks you. You go from number 1 to number 29

Long Halloween doesn't need that. It's a one and done 13 issue arc that sells very well decades after release and makes DC a nice little chunk of money every year. Just like Watchmen, Dark Knight, and Kingdom Come.

The kind of series you would want for these are, say, the Superman triangle years. You, for the time John Byrne launches Man of Steel until the late 90s have over thirty volumes you could release in this format. Price it cheap, newspaper quality, and you count on if they like 1 they'll want 2-30. If not? Well they're dirt cheap to make.

I mean there's a lot of post-crisis/pre-dark age stuff that'd be perfect for this yeah

Hell didn't DC put out black and white archive omnibus of their silver/bronze age work in the 2000s?

All Star Superman, Watchmen, Joker, KC, and Batman Hush are perennial best seller one off prestige limited series. They are not inter tied and will not move any books beyond that title. Then there are the political choices. Far Sector and Static Shock are chosen because of politics and DEI which is not how publishing a line should work and automatically undermines its performance. Which is bad because with every failed line....looking at you Earth One, consumer confidence declines.

As much as I DON'T like him; Geoff johns GL run is tailor made for this format...note it's not there? But Scott Snyder is. American Vampire, Batman. Those are what the line should have been, long running titles that are cheap and would hook readers from volume one forward.

Far Sector and Static Shock are just the tokens. I do think it'd have been wiser to try out the original Milestone Comics Static run in this form. Don't know how good Far Sector is but I'd wager it's filled with DEI shit and turning the MC into a mary sue.

Good candidates for this would probably also be the Morrison JLA run, the Robinson-Johns JSA run, the Wolfman-Perez Titans, the JLI/JLE/JLA Giffen/deMatteis run, and then take your pick of assorted well-recieved runs. I'd throw Ennis' Hitman into it just for variety.

 

[Humble Architect]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this already but DC has started to put out these tankoban-esque collections of comics called DC Compact collections that are all $10 a book and are roughly the size of your average manga volume
View attachment 6291742

I actually saw those last night. Fucking delusional putting Far Sector and Grant’s fetish next to All-star, like these faggots really think those two are “Evergreen” these were full btw.

You know what was almost sold out? Skybound TF vol 1

 

[jspit2.0]

@Alexander Thaut

I mean there's a lot of post-crisis/pre-dark age stuff that'd be perfect for this yeah

Definitely. Stuff that's legitimately serialized ongoing sequential runs.

Hell didn't DC put out black and white archive omnibus of their silver/bronze age work in the 2000s?

Essentials for Marvel. Showcase DC. Problem is, DC gold, silver age stuff isn't lighting the world on fire outside of certain select runs. Also, it's not colorized.

Far Sector and Static Shock are just the tokens. I do think it'd have been wiser to try out the original Milestone Comics Static run in this form. Don't know how good Far Sector is but I'd wager it's filled with DEI shit and turning the MC into a mary sue.

Well, it fails on that front and how are you hooking new readers? You buy One Piece volume 1 and then you buy volume 2. Far sector doesn't do that, (Nor does Vita Ayala Static) because those books weren't popular enough to be ongoings to begin with. These are the books you have to make your case why someone should like comics, not why someone who likes comics should like your woke stuff.

It's brand damage; which Snyder fans and DC execs never understood. I liked Margot Robbie in the first Suicide Squad. Then you make HQBP and I can't see her as the character and not think that. I didn't love SS 2, but there were parts of it I enjoyed. I couldn't stand Robbie in part because of that brand destruction. It's real. You can taint a character.

Good candidates for this would probably also be the Morrison JLA run, the Robinson-Johns JSA run, the Wolfman-Perez Titans, the JLI/JLE/JLA Giffen/deMatteis run, and then take your pick of assorted well-recieved runs. I'd throw Ennis' Hitman into it just for variety.

I would agree, and add that you could get away with collecting non-morrison JLA from Mark Waid up until Joe Kelley. Take it even further, Waid's Flash run up to Geoff Johns first runs end. That's dozens of volumes and shock and horror you might actually make a fan of the Flash character whose mom or dad wouldn't plop twenty five dollars on a trade paperback, assuming they can even find them outside Amazon or a comic shop.

It's one of those if you are going to steal the concept go all in, runs that are readable, can fill multiple volumes, and kindof end decently so that first time non-comic buyers get closure.

Instead you have a mix of garbage, work that is insular and works better in a larger format, and oversaturated material like watchmen. No one is struggling to move watchmen.

 

[Alexander Thaut]

Definitely. Stuff that's legitimately serialized ongoing sequential runs.

My problem is that we really need a halfway competent editor to just pick the runs and go with them.

I mean, even the Gail Simone Birds of Prey wouldn't be the worst idea. . .

Essentials for Marvel. Showcase DC. Problem is, DC gold, silver age stuff isn't lighting the world on fire outside of certain select runs. Also, it's not colorized.

I think DC's best Silver Age stuff's probably worthwhile. Otherwise the rest can be notable introductions and events compiled thematically. Like, the Zatanna Quest could be a fun single volume.

Well, it fails on that front and how are you hooking new readers? You buy One Piece volume 1 and then you buy volume 2. Far sector doesn't do that, (Nor does Vita Ayala Static) because those books weren't popular enough to be ongoings to begin with. These are the books you have to make your case why someone should like comics, not why someone who likes comics should like your woke stuff.

It's brand damage; which Snyder fans and DC execs never understood. I liked Margot Robbie in the first Suicide Squad. Then you make HQBP and I can't see her as the character and not think that. I didn't love SS 2, but there were parts of it I enjoyed. I couldn't stand Robbie in part because of that brand destruction. It's real. You can taint a character.

Yeah I feel like if they really want to do that then they may as well make a Shonen Jump style magazine where they just have a mainline guaranteed draw headline the book and try out different ongoings to see what sticks. The issue is that the DEI crybabies won't like finding out that their shit does not sell.

Speaking of which, I'd bet that the Birds of Prey brand's probably a little damaged at this point. Maybe a Simone Birds of Prey run could be put into tankobon volumes. The BoP were a B-tier IP that got seriously screwed by the movie's mediocrity. At least Green Lantern's kind of an evergreen IP for DC that's usually A-list now. And yet somehow we wind up almost always reverted to Hal, John, Guy, Kyle, and Alan. Out of all the nu-lanterns, the only intriguing one is Jessica.

I would agree, and add that you could get away with collecting non-morrison JLA from Mark Waid up until Joe Kelley. Take it even further, Waid's Flash run up to Geoff Johns first runs end. That's dozens of volumes and shock and horror you might actually make a fan of the Flash character whose mom or dad wouldn't plop twenty five dollars on a trade paperback, assuming they can even find them outside Amazon or a comic shop.

It's one of those if you are going to steal the concept go all in, runs that are readable, can fill multiple volumes, and kindof end decently so that first time non-comic buyers get closure.

Instead you have a mix of garbage, work that is insular and works better in a larger format, and oversaturated material like watchmen. No one is struggling to move watchmen.

post-crisis Flash is interesting. I'd probably also throw in Perez Wonder Woman if we have to pick a run.

TBH I'd also put down Young Justice as the original run was pretty coherent.

What do you think about making long tankbon series about some events and tie-ins? Like the Imperiex Worlds at War one was pretty big and it's just a big messy heroic story that wouldn't be halfway bad. It's got big ups and downs for all the iconic heroes. It's all a big disaster event and the atmosphere is ultimately a big rally for everyone to come together.


It's probably a better pick than some DEI horsewash.

I actually saw those last night. Fucking delusional putting Far Sector and Grant’s fetish next to All-star, like these faggots really think those two are “Evergreen” these were full btw.

You know what was almost sold out? Skybound TF vol 1

Bat books are usually a safe bet tbh. Not so sure about Wonder Woman.

If DC really wants to push some heroines to be more prominent, why not Zatanna or Black Canary? Zee is just right there and has a great backstory. She's got a lot of potential and is treated as a major power within the DCU's heroes.

 

[ArthuriusMartyrius]

Speaking of which, I'd bet that the Birds of Prey brand's probably a little damaged at this point. Maybe a Simone Birds of Prey run could be put into tankobon volumes. The BoP were a B-tier IP that got seriously screwed by the movie's mediocrity. At least Green Lantern's kind of an evergreen IP for DC that's usually A-list now. And yet somehow we wind up almost always reverted to Hal, John, Guy, Kyle, and Alan. Out of all the nu-lanterns, the only intriguing one is Jessica.

Birds of Prey were always C-list to B-list tier. They were probably at their most popular during the 2000s when Simone was writing and you had Oracle, Black Canary, Huntress and Lady Blackhawk forming the core team. Post-Flashpoint said peak of popularity quickly faded and they are probably more accurately described as D-list at this point.