Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner): follows orders better than Hal and ringslings just as well
This team would be so hard to beat and keep down. I can't see anyone with the ability to due that (excluding ridiculous god-level entities). The great thing about this team power-level-wise is that one could argue for several different members being the most powerful of the group. Superman, Flash, and MM are all beastly and could eliminate most threats alone. In cases where strategy beyond a blitz is necessary there's Batman to strategize the team out of any corner with WW and MM serving advisory roles, and everyone but WW and Bats being able to provide in depth analysis of any barrier or problem in front of them. This team can sense pretty much any danger. They have magical and scientific means to combat any threat. Even if their powers were neutralized there's no weak link among them. Kyle has been trained without his ring. Zatanna is an underrated hand-to-hand combatant, admittedly not anywhere near the best, but definitely proficient. WW is a world class grappler. The best part about this team is that Batman is in command of such resources. The possibilities open to this lineup are staggering.
That's my dream. If Batman could form his own league, then I think it would look something like this. Except he might also add a couple of his won people like Oracle as a logistics person, but if he needed a 7 person task force for all purposes this would be it. It's my dream JLA.
First, I keep accidentally calling this the Avatar movie because Avatar: The Last Airbender was the name of the TV show it's based on and anyone who watched the show would just call it Avatar. Ok, glad I got that off my chest. It really bothers me that Avatar used that name for a movie a year before The Last Airbender is released. Oh well..
Ok, on to the trailer. I'd like to start by saying that the movie looks absolutely stunning. The effects crew looks like they went all out in making this movie a visual treat. I rewatched the trailer two more times just so I could get a good look at the bending and the creatures. Appa looks cool so far. The lizards that the Fire Nation soldiers ride look great too. They've done a fantastic job of translating an animated world into a convincing real world environment. The fight scenes look like they're jam-packed with creative bending so I am very excited for that.
The more I see the characters the less it bothers me that they don't really look like their animated counterparts--namely that seemingly Asian or non-white characters are now played by white people and Indians. That bothered me a lot at first. But...that's the case less and less as I become familiar with them.
Things that bothered me still: The voiceover for the trailer only detracted from the spectacle of the visual aspect of it for me. It made the story sound overly complicated and tried to introduce too many elements I think. Keep it simple. People either know the gist of the movie or can ask a child or can check imdb (which is what I do with any movie I find interesting), so why try to explain the title and plot all in one trailer? I'm mystified.
Overall I'd say that as of this moment I am excited for this movie and definitely going to go see it when it comes out.
I'm not buying this movie yet. I saw it twice in theaters in 3D because it was an experience. The 3D, the graphics...amazing. But as I understand it, the version of the movie coming out soon doesn't have the 3D version on it, so I'm abstaining until there's more features on a later release. I'm guessing it will be a Christmas season special edition or something.
I get why people complain about when things being released serially are not written in continuity. It doesn't link in with the other titles (which is a lot of the fun of reading universe comics, I think). Comics out of continuity also can use different versions of characters. Perhaps the characters are from an earlier or later time period. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's run on Batman comes to mind. They created an alternate beginning to Batman. Loeb thought it would be more interesting to write the character when he was still young, new, and not so polished and experienced. I can see where he would see the advantages. It's hard to take on a character with so much history and so many expectations. Writing out of continuity can be a way to sidestep that, if ever so slightly. Those some pros and cons, but mostly people complain about comics that are out of continuity because they feel it is nonessential reading. It doesn't matter to them. It's a nice story, but who cares, right? It's not affecting the character that I reeeally care about and follow every month in the main title. But at the same time I see comics out of continuity shaping characters despite them not being canon. Frank Miller's future-Batman stories shaped how people saw the Dark Knight. Miller wrote him as a borderline insane fanatic. It's a compelling portrayal and makes the character more interesting I think. I'm a fan of The Dark Knight Returns and the others. And All-Star Batman and Robin (I doubt there'll ever be more of that series though. A shame.)
Anyway, my point is: Comics that are out of continuity aren't always a hassle or a waste of time. Sometimes they are better and more important than what's in continuity has to offer. For me this includes stories that still have Bruce as Batman. That version of Batman will always be compelling no matter who currently wears the cowl. So why constantly rag on comics out of continuity? Does every story have to tie in to something for it to be good? Does anyone feel the way I do? There is way too much bashing on comics that are not in continuity.
After watching three seasons of Showtime's Dexter, I'm convinced that Michael C. Hall could play a Batman character just as or more compelling than The Dark Knight's Joker played by Heath Ledger. I'd happy to see in Hall as an original for-the-movie character or as an established character. He'd be a great Mr. Szasz. He'd be perfect for it. As Dexter, Michael C. Hall demonstrates how perfectly he can portray the internal fire of a killer--which is exactly what makes Szasz compelling. Szasz kills. It's what he does.
I'd also be happy to see Hall as the Riddler.
Or...he could play Murmur, who is a Flash villain, but I think he's underused and could easily be put into a Batman movie. Are you listening Batman 3 script writers and casting directors/producers? I hope so, but I doubt it.
I have mixed feelings about Bruce Wayne apparent inevitable return. After the miniseries that is supposed to bring Bruce back it is assumed he will take the cowl back, thus displacing Dick from it. Like others, I've become quite attached to the new Batman. He's interesting and new. There's so much more story to tell about him. But if we've learned anything about Bruce, it's that the Batman identity is as much or more a part of his identity as Bruce Wayne is. If he does indeed come back and want the cowl back, then what happens? Let's look at a couple of ways Bruce could address a Dick Batman.
Bruce violently takes the cowl back. I think most everyone would agree that Bruce could take the cowl back by force if he wanted, so I won't go too deep into that. I do think that this would be damaging to Bruce and Dick's relationship though, so I'm hoping it won't happen. And it doesn't seem likely since apparently Bruce asked Dick to take up the cowl.
Bruce asks Dick to stop being Batman. If Bruce did this, then I think Dick would comply, BUT this doesn't feel very likely just because Bruce isn't one to ask permission for anything. He takes. He does what he wants and usually what he wants is what he thinks is best for everyone. This leads me to another possible outcome...
Bruce lets Dick be Batman. Maybe Bruce comes back and believes that Dick is a good Batman. He may believe that he has finally been succeeded. Bruce can help the world in another way, possibly even without a mask or cape. Other reasons I think Bruce may let Dick keep the cowl is if Dick proves to him in some way that he is a better Batman. This could prove problematic because Bruce is simply one of the greatest heroes in the whole of the DCU.
Dick quits. I could see this happening a couple months ago, but since then Dick has grown into his role as Batman. I cite mostly Tony Daniel's run on Batman for making Dick Batman much more intimidating and powerful. He seems like he is in control finally--which to me is exactly what Batman is best at: Control.
Bruce doesn't come back. If this happens, then I think it's safe to say that Dick remains as Batman.
Bruce doesn't come back the same and has no interest in being Batman. An incredibly interesting thing for Bruce to do, I think, would be to come back as a completely different man, with the realization that he has been missing something in his life as Batman. He has no love in his life and it has taken its toll on him. I've always felt that there are two things powerful enough to make Bruce quit being Batman: Death and Love. Through all the trials that Grant Morrison has put Bruce through it might culminate in Bruce have the epiphany that maybe he is honoring his parents in the wrong way. Maybe they would be most proud of him if he were to live his life with the woman he loves and have children and protect them in the way his parents couldn't protect him. This would be a profoundly different kind of Batman story. Is it possible? I think so. Likely? Probably not. But it's a great example of how open the Bruce Wayne narrative is right now.
As of right now, I'm not ready to have Dick stop being Batman. But who knows, Morrison and Daniel could have a lot planned for Dick leading up to Bruce's return. He could be more than ready to give up the cowl by the time Bruce comes back. I would love to read more Dick Grayson Batman stories though. Besides, Bruce Wayne Batman lives on in plenty of stories that exist and are still being written outside of the current DCU continuity. And that's enough for me.
What are your thoughts, ComicViners? Want to keep Dick Batman? Want Bruce Batman back? How do you think it will all go down?
Where is Grant Morrison going with Damian Wayne? He created him. Batman embraced him. Dick embraced him. He's been shown to be a possible future Batman. Damian is brat. Please, Morrison, for all of us who can't stand his intense brattiness, make him grow up. Yeah, yeah, he is still a young kid right now. But come on. Make it happen.
So Dick Grayson has taken up the Cowl and I have to say, I'm really excited to see what happens next. BFTC raised a lot of questions that I didn't think I would be asking at the end of it. It also answered some big ones. It gave me closure on who would fill in for Bruce, which I'm thankful for. I'm excited to see where Dick and Damien go from here. Gotham is in shambles, the two big mob bosses will be back some time soon I imagine and until then he has the Black Mask and his posse of hostage/henchmen villans to deal with. I fully expect to see a lot of the Black Mask in the next year. There's noway he'll be taken down any time soon. Thank you Tony Daniel for doing BTFC right. I reall enjoyed it. The direction was good and sensible. Not only do you give us the new Batman, but you show us why he is the Batman.
Now, some questions and musings about what is to come:
What's going on with Tim? He proved himself to not be worthy of being Batman, but he's obviously outgrown the title of Robin (plus Damien has taken it up officially it looks like, although he has been wearing that costume for a while..). He is in an odd place right now. Whatever writer picks up his story has some exciting decisions to make. I'm a little disappointed by the STRONG indications that he will be Red Robin and spending the next year looking for Bruce. Why? He's a crimefighter. Plus, this sounds like he'll be taking more time away from the Teen Titans, who desperately need his leadership. Side note: Teen Titans has been TERRIBLE because DC keeps fucking the lineup every time they get it set. Half the issues introduce new members or explain why others have left. It's not half the title it used to be and it is seriously disappointing because they were one of my favorite teams. Also, the JLA hs gone to hell too because all that's going on in each members' individual titles. I would hate to be the writer for TT or JLA right now. ANYWAY, I look forward to Tim growing more and finding his place in the new Bat Family. His character was hitting a good stride before BTFC and I'd hate to see that disappear because he is searching for Bruce for a year. But who knows, it could be a great story.
What's going on with Batwoman? It has been demonstrated before that Dick is okay with her using the Bat symbol and all. She'll be taking over Detective Comics too. So what can we expect from her? Well number one, I want to pick up the title just because the art is fantastic, but as for the story and the character... Is she going to see a bigger role in the Bat Family finally? We'll have to wait and see what kind of Batman Dick will be, but my bet is that he takes on a much more inclusive attitude toward the other heroes of Gotham. The Network was huge in BTFC, pretty much the whole DCU knows that Dick was Nightwing, pretty much the whole DCU likes Dick and is friends with him, he's a good hero in his own right and people respect him--all in all I think that a more social wouldn't be so bad. Including Batwoman in more of the Bat Family activities would be a step in the right direction. Batwoman has been pretty much invisible since 52.
Hush. After a ton of images and hype around him as BTFC approached we barely saw him. Or did we? Is he the new Black Mask? Could be. It fits. He's crazy enough to be and he was always going to toe to toe with the entrenched powers in Gotham like he knew he could win. They could be the sme person.
Jason. Obviously he's not dead. And obviously he's not going to take up Bruce's advice just because Dick beat him out for the Cowl. We'll get to more on those last messages later. So where is he now? What is he doing? What's his next move? During BTFC #3 the thought occured to me that he could be the Black Mask too. But this theory is less plausible than Hush/Black Mask. So moving on.. I think it would be very intriguing if Jason Todd continued being a twisted hero/villain. He thinks he is doing right, but Batman abhors his methods. He could even go deeper into the villain side and become Dick's Joker. That would be awesome. Jason has few moves now. We'll see what happens. I don't see him changing his mindset just because he lost BTFC.
The Network. What now? Just disband because Dick says so? Who knows. I don't see them sustaining their membership. For some reason I fully expect to see more of Knight and Squire in upcoming Bat Family stuff.
Babs. The Cure didn't bring what a lot of peopl thought it would, but I liked it a lot. She'll continue to be the logistics division for the Bat Family, but it was nice to be reminded that she is a hero in her own right.
The JLA. I imagine Black Canary can go back to beng chairwoman since her stint with the Network, but what happens with Dick? We saw Wally be a full blown Flash and still be a Titan. Can Dick be Batman and Titan? He really has no reason to go to the League. It's not really a promotion. The League has been severely downgraded lately. But we'll see. Plus Dick has always denied membership before. We'll see how many Batman duties he performs just to keep up appearances.
The Big Three. What happened to the Trinity, DC? Bruce is gone. Clark is off planet. Diana is well..Diana again. She's doing her own thing too. How will Dick fit into this elite group? I don't think he will. Although the other two will welcome him with open arms.
Bruce's last messages. I think they are manipulations. Would it really be Batmanly of him to be completely sincere on his deathbed? NO! he messages were meant to illicit certain responses. Bruce knew Jason wouldn't go into therapy. He'd do the opposite. Bruce knew Dick would respect not taking up the Cowl because that would be his first reflex anyway. These two had to be tricked into doing the things they did so that 1) Jason would see that he is NOT Batman and will finally give up on that, 2) Dick has to take up the Cowl on his own volition so that he knows he is doing it for himself. Well played Bruce.
Are the writers purposefully trying to take the audience on a roller coaster ride? Every time I get excited about he plot they end that story line the next episode. Sylar, my favorite character, has done a million things it seems like this season. So many of them should've been milked for more story. Him and Bennet working together could've lasted so much longer. That was an entertaining duo that did not get enough time to really explore that relationship. Sylar's search for his dad took about 3 episodes when he had been wanting to see him since the first season. So strange.. And I don't even know what to mae of the Petrelli's any more. They're all over the place. Claire is dumb and boring. For a while it looked like Bennett would train her a little, but that lasted about 5 minutes then they got attacked and it didn't matter any more. i hate her character. Her immortality is so wasted. Learn some skills dammit Claire! Danko has been fun though. He is still a bit of a mystery, which is good. It makes me feel like there's still a reason to continue watching the show. Suresh sucks now. He is lost and confused and always in someone's face for something ethical and then doubting his own argument the next scene. Same with Matt Parkman. He went from cop who could read minds to illogical, almost murderer. Frustrating. Hiro and Ando have been having their ups and downs again. Every time they're in a good place they start arguing about something dumb that comes out of nowhere. The lack of jumping around in time was supposed to calm down the phrenetic writing, but it hasn't. Instead we've just had Hiro with no powers for most of the season, which is dumb because he is the best hero out all the characters. I'll stick around for another season, but writers be warned: slow down and let the characters interact rather than sending them jumping though hoops and maybe you wouldn't be losing so many viewers.
Prometheus is the only person in the DCU who prepares the way that Batman does. He's a master martial artist, tactician, completely dedicated. The only problem is where his allegiances lie. He could be a radically new Batman. Same method, but unrelated to the bat family. He could probably beat all of them anyway. He nearly took down the JLA.
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