“Twisted” is the first of three animated shorts along with comics leading up to the release of Justice League: Gods and Monsters, an animated feature by Bruce Timm, Sam Liu, and Alan Burnett, on July 28th. Episodes two and three will debut on Machinima June 10th and 12th respectively.

Feature storytelling is all about efficiency; increase that by another factor when it comes to animation and so on when dealing in the realm of shorts. At about 5 minutes, “Twisted” lives up to the marketing promise that Gods and Monsters would be a far darker take on the Justice League. Harley Quinn is the equivalent of the Dollmaker and mutilated corpses abound. Kirk Langstrom shows off his vampiric side by refusing to take Harley Quinn into custody, instead doing what vampires do. It is something that was hinted at in the trailer for Justice League: Gods and Monsters. There is still some Timm style visual gags and overall deadpan delivery in terms of presenting the world.

That deadpan delivery is perhaps why I’m so off put by Harley Quinn’s costuming. It’s absurd, she is in lingerie and that’s it. It’s over the top and bright and tonally dissonant to the overall mise en scene of “Twisted”, making it serve no purpose than to look at this animated characters barley covered parts. Where Batman’s costuming looks like it exists with purpose, did anyone else notice the ear holes on the side of his helmet. She exists only to act as Other and reinforce Batman’ normality. While pursuing Batman, Quinn remarks how removed from his brand of crazy she is. He is fully clothed in tactical gear, quiet, powerful and surprisingly not sexualized (by vampire standards).Harley Quinn is in decidedly less than tactical gear, loud, and sexualized for no other purpose than audience gaze.

Batman represents the dark side of DC heroic spectrum, a certain level of grim and grit make sense for the character. As a short though and our first real look at the world of Gods and Monsters, it lacks context. Without this context of how Superman and Wonder Woman (Bekka) will be treated it just seems kinda exploitative and needless. The whole thing has the air of a some kids idea of what “adult” and “mature” because it is allowed to show skin and gore. Instead of uses those as tools to explore the human condition or make some thematic point.

In a recent interview with CBR about the release of Justice League: Gods and Monsters Chronicles, a series of animated short introductions ahead of the full animated feature, producer Bruce Timm talked about the planning behind this series

“Well, the initial three-episode webseries was deliberately designed to showcase each of these characters in a way that automatically smacks you upside the head and says, "Forget everything you know about who Superman or Batman or Wonder Woman is." These are all-new versions of those characters. In knowing that these were going to air before the movie came out, [I thought] it would be a great little mini-teaser of the characters. Each short was intentionally designed to be -- I'll be blatant about it -- they were intended to be shocking a little bit. We probably went a little bit further with each of them than we normally would have been inclined to do. But again, knowing that it was trying to make an impact, trying to make a statement, trying to be the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.”

With only “Twisted” to go off of, it appears Timm and Co. only half succeed. “Twisted” is defiantly shocking. In terms of making me “Forget everything you know about who Superman or Batman or Wonder Woman is” it defiantly fails. “Twisted” and Gods and Monsters in general, only works because it is crafted to play off of the audiences understanding of these characters. Yes each interpretation of a character has unique traits but those traits only are “unique” because they exist in a spectrum of symbolic understanding. Because of this extra textual knowledge audiences bring to the text we cannot be smacked upside and forget our understanding of "Batman" or any character that Timm uses to tell his story. Kirk Langstrom Batman is inexorably linked to Batman, the mythic figure, by symbolic assocation.His costume is remeicent of the Batman Beyond suit, save for color alterations. Harley Quinn's outfit signfies that she is "Harley Quinn" because of repurposed color scheme and diamond tattoo from the Injustice universe.

As it stands “Twisted” is just shocking. Existing as a 5 minute introduction to a world of disembodied persons, reliant on our understanding of DC mythology in order to imbue any of what goes on with meaning beyond pure aesthetic enjoyment.

I am Michael Mazzacane you can follow me on Twitter and at ComicWeek.org

When I first watched it I didn't check long the video was for some reason so when it ended I was pissed. They I learn that it was marketing the Blue-Ray DVD by showing was short video to tease us. It worked because I am playing to get the Blue-Ray right after I buy Blue-Ray Player.