SHAZAM Second Trailer Promises The Superman Movie We Deserved

Welcome Back to Another edition of Comic Relief! where we talk about all the goings on in the world of nerd!

It's been a minute since I put anything up here, and I apologize for that, there has been a lot going on with the Government shut down, and it has affected a lot of my work, so again I am sorry. That being said there were some big trailers released in that time: Spider-Man Far From Home, Avengers Endgame, and yesterday they even released a 20-second teaser for Birds of Prey (which looks frankly god awful). However, of all the trailers dropped, the one that has me most excited is the second trailer for DC's upcoming film SHAZAM! which debuted a ton of new footage from the film and even gave us our first really good look at Billy's transformation and introduced his ability to fly. However, as great as the footage is in the trailer, the thing that has me most excited about it is that it appears that Shazam is being made to be the Superman film we deserved in the first place.

Now a little while ago I wrote a piece on how to make the perfect Superman film. That at its core it should be a story that focuses on the character's connections to humanity, his relationships, to show his own. If this trailer is anything to go by, it appears that this is the approach that DC has taken for the Big Red Cheese. SHAZAM! seems to focus not only on Billy's exploits of heroism but his connection to people. His friendship and bonds of family with the kids in his new foster home (predominantly Freddy Freeman) seem to be the driving factors of the film. The big question is, why use SHAZAM for this and not Superman?

When Superman was created back in 1939, it started a massive competition between a whole bunch of magazine companies. During this time it wasn't just Marvel and Dc, there were all sorts of magazines and publishing companies and all of them had their artists deliver their own version of Superman. Probably the most obvious was Whiz comics' Captain Marvel or SHAZAM. It was in fact so obvious that he was one of the first properties acquired by DC comics in its copyright infringement case that allowed for the acquisition of several heroes. SHAZAM's character design and powers are very similar to Superman's: Wisdom of Solomon, Strength of Hercules, Stamina of Atlas, Lightning of Zeus, Courage of Achilles, and Speed of Mercury, but the thing that separates them is their origin and it's because of this origin that SHAZAM shines brighter than Superman, and ultimately that's why SHAZAM! is being made. It has always been my opinion that SHAZAM is the perfected idea of the Man of steel, give all the power under the sun to an adult who has all his ducks in a row, and it has the risk of becoming monotonous; give it to a 10-year-old kid who's felt powerless his whole life, now that has almost limitless potential. So in a time where there is so much uncertainty with the future of these characters in these films (namely the uncertain future of Henry Cavill's tenure as Superman), SHAZAM! is set to become the new heart of the DC films, to shine bright the way Superman should have from the start.

Since the box office success of Aquaman, people have hailed it the fresh start for DC Films, well they are mistaken. Aquaman was instead the final chapter of Snyder's film universe. While Snyder had little to nothing to do with the film, it still exists in the world he created. While SHAZAM! does still take place in this Universe, it stands alone completely from the rest of those films, having no strings attached aside from a few easter eggs. SHAZAM! is the start of DC's new direction of films (all the more reason the new Birds of Prey teaser is so disappointing).  I fully expect SHAZAM to repair a lot of the brand damage done to DC over the past few years, and I am excited to see my favorite DC hero shine on screen.

This has been another edition of Comic Relief! I hope you have enjoyed and we will see you again soon!

-Michael

Why Gundam should matter to you...you filthy casual.

I love Gundam.  I don't know why you don't?

...actually, on a second of introspection, I realize why you might not.

after like 20 second things get really complicated. 

Let me show you my Gundams, My Gundams, Let me show you them...

Before I delve into my favorite Gundam Series and why you common plebs should all Hail ZION. 

I should explain.

Gundam launched in April 7, 1979, in Japan. Heralded by the godfather of anti-war, Nuvo mecha, psudo- LSD enthusiast  Yoshiyuki Tomino. He launched a brand under the collective pseudonym of Hajime Yatate. There where about  5 other artists involved in the pseudonym  I don't remember. 

What YOU need to know is Mobile Suit Gundam defined multiple generations.

Every mecha anime you see today is almost infallibly influenced by MSG. 

It also set the trend for being a story about war that was explicitly ANTI-war. 

confusing for American audiences but, deep and brilliant to date. 

Gundam is  best explained as being a story about a  {tank} using said {tank }as a plot device to focus the story on the drivers of said {tank}.

Gundam is endlessly reusable as a conveyance method as it's backdrop is war. Drivin by one side having a superior weapon, the Gundam {tank} and how this affects the lives of many people on both sides and sometimes people on neither side of the conflict. Exploring the political aspects of each side and the ramifications of individuals actions within each side. Let alone the other side. 

If that hasn't already garnered your interest you might think "I get it, its a anime about war"

You are only scratching the surface. 

I could explain Amuro Ray's story. The first Hero of Gundam but it's meaningless as ever hero in Gundam replays a similar scenario but with different and more nuanced conflicts.

The gist is a hero is thrust into a situation he is against, but forced to be part of {war} to protect someone he cares about {platoicly or non platoiclay} setting up a moral scenario where our hero must constantly evolve his concepts about good and evil  about protecting and saving the people he cares for over the lives of the enemy. Rationalizing ending the lives of someone to save the lives of other people. 

Gundam is full of these complex morality plays. Making sure your "hero" is no better than the villain. Creating a moral grey area where you sympathize with almost all members on a battlefield.  Questioning the morality of the hero at times in his actions to carry out his mission. LEaving a lingering question as to whether the "villains" of this story might, in fact, be correct? And our hero my, in fact, be wrong? This is the essence of Gundam.   They want you to question your own concepts of good and evil, just and unjust, Hero and villain. 

Gundam is the perfect anti-War propaganda. and in many ways the perfect Pro-war propaganda?

As it plays on the heartstrings of everyone involved.

It showcases the pain of the solder carrying out their mission.

The suffering the those caught on the battlefield.

The human aspect of the enemy following orders.

The nature of bureaucracy and its shortcomings when human life is on the line.

The nature of the military industrial complex in opposition to the value of human life.

Gundam is an ageless story. An "Endless Waltz" if you will. Retelling the history of war. 

And how if we don't learn from the past we will be indentured to repeated the failures in the future.

So if this interests you, I invite you to join me in dissecting the gundam series in a retrospective I will be posting monthly. {As there is a lot of gundam} looking at each series, Chronologically, in-depth discussing its meanings, references to our current culture and ascetical aspects. 

cause Gundam is awesome and if you dont agree you're just a bitter Linkin park fan that's probably mad that DBZ retconned brolly to not suck as hard as your wet dreams. 

Much to my chagrin, the first episode of this series will be my least favorite...

Mobile Suit Gundam. the first Gundam and probably...the best. 

I can't stand it's lead Amuro Rey, but I LOVE its antagonist Char Aznable. 

This will start next month, February, cause I love you.

I hope to see you then. Until then.  I hope all is well

the death of marvels Netflix is the Joy of disneys streaming reberth!

REJOICE!
 FOR THE PAIN WE ENDURED IS NOT FOR NAUGHT!

Many fanbois are lamenting the death of the Marvel/ Netflix series.

I say, praise him!

As this is the best thing we could hope for.

Marvel Netflix went from the fun exhilaration of or first sexual experience as young adults to a painful slow molestation by a second cousin.

in the end what seemed like fun exploration only left scares.

don't judge me...

Dare Devil S1 was... honestly... a masterpiece. immaculate. pristine. the most perfect distillation of the best concepts of the character into film media.
Amazing casting.
Pristine cinematography.
Deep sound production
WRITING THAT TO THIS DAY I CAN NOT FIND FAULT WITHIN ANY SINGLE EPISODE.
A finally that pays off and justifies the ENTIRE SEASON

S2 is the perfect example of how an amazing concept can be ass raped by a bad writer, director showrunner, ETC.

The first episodes are great cause of Punisher. Then 3 episodes he leaves and the show takes a nose dive right into your dad's crotch and plants itself there proudly. REFUSING TO GET UP NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU BEG.

You're forced to endure the face rape of Elektra's story...
I am not even gonna discuss this. If you feel the need to subject yourself to this Turkish prison sentence subscribe to Netflix.

By the end, we get a small pay off to the defenders which....is as rewarding as a urethral exam.
no spoilers cause everyone from this generation is a pansy. but, It's a worthless plot line.
don't worry you didn't miss much.
And we get one pay off. Frank Castle in jail with the Kingpin.  Homage to one of the best Punisher storylines in history. REamnisiRoshak the roshak watchmen scene. Its worth subscribing to Netflix for one month just to see this scene. Seriously.

Really, I just realized this. Let me save you the trouble.
Watch DDs2 up to episode 4, then stop. then resume at episode 8 if you can stomach it only for the bad ass Frank fight scene in Jail. That's it.

shows over. That's the best of Marvel/Netflix. Jessica Jones season one is great too. Otherwise, forget anything else happened.

Congratulations. you have been caught up on anything worth watching on Netflix if you taste isn't in your ass.


What can we hope for?
Well, Disney has done a fantastic job making Iron Man and Captain America, two of the most cardboard static figures in marvels legacy, deep and profound.

They turned Lokie, a 1-dimensional foil for Thor into a complex character who is probably the most "shipped " MU char in existence.

And with Disney/Marvel just regaining the rights to not just the fantastic four and the x-men but all the tertiary characters in their universe. I'm Psyched to see what Disney does with the franchises Netflix fucked into the dirt.

"The pains of death are the joys of rebirth."
you can fight me at @automatauntaun1 on twitter.
And please come at me over how I was wrong on Shazam.
This film is what will save the dc film franchise.
I am very positive I was wrong about Shazam and Shazam will be the saving grace of DC films.
I can't be proven wrong unless you fight me. So drop your hate there along with why marvel Netflix shows are a masterpiece.

Until then, just remember any Netflix show will be canceled after s3.  So dont bank on too much.

Punisher Season two is bad, and you should feel ashamed if you like it.

I don't know what else to say....Punisher season two is a perfect example of taking a great concept and ruining it.
This season should have been four episodes.
End of discussion.

It's entierly filler. And this is what a majority of Netflix shows, not just marvel shows, suffer from. Stranger things. black mirror and from the most recent trailer Umbrella Academy.

Netflix seems hell-bent on signing properties to a number of episodes they can't fulfill.
Shity writing and poor characterizations aside.

My issues with punisher are more about Netflixes approach to producing a show then the story.
Which is also garbage.

Of the 13 episodes, 4 are watchable. You can omit the rest, cut down the 4 episodes from the beginning and end and have a solid Netflix film. This is not the fault of the show but Netflixes approche to the production of series and its fear of competing with larger enterprises.

Overall punisher was a letdown of a series.
Perfect casting teased in Daredevil S2 and never paid off.

A perfect personification of embracing who the Punisher is in S1 opening, abandoning that, spending the rest of the 13 episodes trying to humanize him by having him fix wymans sinks.

S2  is no better.  Afraid to embrace him till the end in an effort to not blow their load when it was obvious the show would be canned.
Pun S2 should have been a mafia murdering gorefest from episode 1-13. Like the opening of Deadpool 2 spread over 13 episodes....
LIKE A PUNISHER BOOK!
instead, we get more of "Frank helps wyamnz" them trying to humanize a frankestinian killing machine.

And only in the last episodes letting frank touch on embracing what he is supposed to be.

My criticism can be summed up in one statement

Why did frank even put on the vest with a skull on it?
IT means nothing to him. its just a moment for fanboys to fapulate too.
as a reward for sitting through filler.
You knew this was the last season. Why not have it start out strong with Frank, who we had developed as wrestling with BEING THE PUNISHER, in S1 just outright embrace it all of S2 and let us enjoy our good old power fantasy?

Instead, we got a toothy blow job as a good bye.

I'm not gonna go too deep into justifying this.
I grew up reading War Journal.
Punisher S1 and S2 were shit.
If you liked them, your taste is in your ass.
Fight me.
Automatuantaun1 on twitter,

This show was an abomination to the legacy of Frank Castle. Perfect casting. Absolute shit writing.
90 % frank crying about how hard it is being frank, 5 % helping strange Wyman, 5% being Punisher.
thank god they aborted this stillbirth.

I am eager to see what Disney will do with this property and if its nothing I will be happy to let it lay in the dustbins of history where it will gain cult status rather then have pop culture rape its corps.

Eulogy to Comics: A Less than Fond Farewell

Welcome Back to Another Edition of Comic Relief! where we talk about all the goings on in the world of nerd!

I am not sure where to start, but we need to have a talk. It's mostly me. It's mostly cathartic, but I'm wondering if I'm not alone. I have been talking with Michael for quite some time about contributing to this blog and I have definitely not fulfilled my promises. That might require some explanation. Michael and I came to an understanding based on my enthusiasm for comics and the stories contained therein. His rabid enthusiasm and eternally optimistic attitude were what drew me to him and this site. I saw it as a counter to my dry realism and pessimistic outlook. A perfect balance. However, I could not foresee how bad things would get in the comic book industry.

I have engaged, as you may have, in a year's long war to justify giving DC, Marvel, Oni and the like my cash for stories and...I just can't. I can't anymore. And I can't review comics I read via scanlation/bootleg. It's WRONG. I can't abide by not giving the artist their paid dues EVEN IF I DISAGREE WITH THE CONTENT. As much as I want to tell you how I feel I can't without paying for a comic. I can't do it. Maybe its because I owned my own business. Maybe its cause I'm a 30-year-old boomer. Whatever the reason I can't review a book I didn't pay for. And I can't justify paying for these books anymore.

Marvel is inarguable in the shitter, it's not debatable. If you want to fight me, search me out on twitter @autoatauntaun1. I would love to have you prove me wrong. DC has just announced they are letting staff go.  How did this happen? Well, it's no surprise to me, to Michael, really to anyone. American books have taken a turn and to explain it would take many more blogs. That brings me to this discussion.

I can not write about American books any longer. I can't because I have nothing positive say.
I have watched the heroes I grew up with destroyed by the very people I idolized writing them. Brian Michael Bendis has ruined Superman, Dan Slott let me down with Superior Spiderman, Nick Spencer destroyed my expectations with Captain America. And let me tell you, I embraced all these stories, I wanted them to work. I loved Superior spiderman...TILL THE END. I championed turning Captain America to a Hydra agent as an interesting and fresh take on his origin in a new age.
It was reading BMB's re-imagining of Superman and his retaliation against Lois and their son that broke me.

Really it was my debates with Michael in person, I find them refreshing and so rejuvenating. He is the driving force of this site and having to kill his hopes and dreams was too much. I don't want to spend all my time being negative and pissing on the dreams of others. Having to constantly say,
"your wrong" and " you believe in a false god", it suits no one because I want to have his faith, I want to feel like he does. I want the optimism of a kid buying The Carnage Saga, Infinity War, and Crisis on Infinite Earths. I want to feel the hope and excitement of a boy buying punisher war journal,
not the letdown of watching punisher on Netflix. I want the surprise of the Jim Shooter and Defalco Era story arc like Who is the Hobgoblin... I want my personal views and opinions challenged by the X men of Jim Lee but, to be honest, I have to admit to you I don't think I can ever have that again.

Comics have always stood as a medium to challenge the standing norms of society. They have ceased this function. They serve as a regurgitation machine of the consensus of society. The X men were an argument against the red purges of the 1950s and the anti-miscegenation laws. Spiderman was a rebellion against the concept of the Übermench and a proclamation that the everyman, with all his faults, could be powerful.  And his vulnerability was a strength, not a weakness. The Punisher was a morality play to show us that our justified rage at the justice system unleashed was not just imperfect but exactly why our justice system existed, despite our power fantasy. These concepts are non-existent in our modern American books.....and so they are dead to me.

I cannot honestly review comic books any longer. Anything I tell you would be tainted, and filled with bias, malice, and animosity. I predicted the Netflix Marvel shows would all fail and be canceled cause they stopped challenging our understanding. If you want, check out my review of why Iron Fist was canceled. I'm not linking to it cause honestly, it's common sense. From here on out I will be writing exclusively about Manga and anime. Aside from the fact that I adore them personally, the numbers don't lie. Anime and Manga have overtaken American media by 25% + in many markets, and Marvel and DC have just announced layoffs in the realms of 13 %. This is the end of an era. It's time to send off comic books.
They are dead and my eulogy is way overdue.

With that being said, please look for my impending reviews of:
My hero academia
Heroes of the Galactic Empire
Inuyasha
One punch man
Mob psycho 100
Gundam Thunderbolt
and many others.

I hope we can find a middle ground. As I don't plan to release my synopsis of any of the other Netflix series as my prediction they would all be canceled came true nullifying any further discussion. I spent many hours on them, however, it would all be perceived as negativity and I want to move forward discussing things I love, rather than things I hate and proclaiming how I know they will fail. I hope you can understand this moving forward. And that when I DO post a negative argument it's only cause I want the subject of what I'm discussing to improve cause I care about it. Most who criticize are just hoping you get better.

Here is to the future and hoping American books take a page from Manga and institute fan polls like they did in the past so my kids can have heroes who challenge them and that they can have an input on.

I hope you have enjoyed and again I look forward to talking more about Manga and Anime with you!

-Automatauntaun

'Young Justice: Outsiders' Shows the Franchise is Far From Over

Welcome Back to another edition of Comic Relief! where we talk about all the goings on in the world of nerd!

Last week, after a six-year hiatus, Young Justice debuted the first 3 episodes of the long-awaited third season. While the first three episodes were good, they had initially given me a reason to pause and have reservations about the season as it lacked the personality and charm that made the show what it was. However, I am glad to report that all those reservations have been put to bed with the most recent episodes released on the DC Universe streaming app.

Where the first three episodes lacked the charm and character interactions that became the staple of this show, episodes 4,5, and 6 are driven by those things at there core. These episodes show what I had been hoping for from the start, these characters have grown, but they are still the characters we fell in love with. Probably the strongest example of this is the fourth episode, Private Security. The fourth episode focuses primarily on Dick who is asking Red Arrow (Roy Harper's clone that now goes by Will) for help shutting down a Metahuman trafficking ring in Star City. Dick has assembled a team of Harpers with Roy Harper (Arsenal) and Jim Harper (the original Guardian) to help him convince Will to help. Will reluctantly agrees to help so long as there is a bit of quid pro quo and Dick helps Will out on a job for Will's private security company. This leads to probably my favorite moment in any Young Justice season as epic music plays as the group walk out in private security uniforms that make them look like Mall Cops. The look of sheer self-disgust on Dick Grayson's face at that moment made me laugh harder than I have laughed in a very long time. The contract is to provide security to a shipment of new VR tech goggles, and they get hijacked by Brick so the team of Harper and Grayson go after them. During this chase, Will and Dick have a fantastic conversation about Dick distancing himself from people since the death of Wally West, and convincing Dick to take responsibility for a team again. It's just a very solid episode, and we get another fantastic moment at the end where they've taken down the trafficking ring, and you see the team in costume (Red Arrow, Arsenal, Guardian, and Nightwing), to which Will states that he thinks they looked better in his uniforms, and Dick immediately shut that down with a cold "no we did not," and again joy surged through my heart.

These three episodes are packed with great character interactions that made this show great. Zatanna getting to spend an hour with her father before he returns to being the host of Dr. Fate, M'gan trying to get some alone time with Connor after their recent engagement, but being frustratingly thwarted by Dick Grayson needing Connor to be around, and probably another one of my favorites was when Dick Grayson is talking about how reckless the new heroes were being by sneaking off on their own, only to be reminded by Superboy of how reckless Dick, Wally, and Kald'r had been breaking into Cadmus (which in turn led to Dick Grayson letting out an existential sigh and saying: "I hate being a grown up). However, as great as seeing all this was, what made me even happier was that in the 6th episode the show sets up a lot of things that promise that this cannot be the last season of Young Justice and that we have quite the future in store for the Team.

Episode 6, Rescue Op, Has the new heroes: Halo, Forager, and Brion Markoff (Geo-Force) going off to Infinity Island to track down Rhas Al Ghul and find Brion's sister Terra who has been missing since the beginning of the series. They do this despite being given explicit orders not to do so, and it goes about as well as you can expect for a team that has not worked together ever and has yet to really learn how to use their abilities. They get captured and so it's up to Dick, Connor, M'gan, and Black Lightning (essentially the original YJ team, minus Wally and Kald'r, and a stand-in). The team rescues The Outsiders, and eventually have a confrontation with the Demon's Head himself, Rhas Al Ghul. This confrontation gives a whole bunch of reveals, such as the fact that Rhas is no longer the leader of the Shadows, and that he is no longer a part of the Light. That being said, these reveals are minor compared to the ones we get after Dick and his companions leave. During the confrontation, a ninja in all red is introduced, and upon Dick's departure, the ninja recognizes him. Rhas congratulates the ninja on beginning to retain his memories, and then the hood is pulled back to reveal the unmistakable hair cut of Jason Todd, the second Robin, and anti-hero Red Hood. As big of a reveal as this is, it's trumped by the reveal of Talia Lurking around with a dark-haired baby that is unmistakably Damien Wayne.

When you piece this together with Darkseid's confirmation in Season 2, and his role in this season, along with the character arc Dick is going through presently, it's very clear where things are headed. While I have little doubt we will see Jason don the Red Hood moniker by the end of this season, the endgame is much larger as we now have all the Robins in play, I feel that we are going to see the death of Batman from Final Crisis, Battle for the Cowl, and the resolution with Dick Grayson accepting the mantle of the Batman and taking Damien under his wing. It may not all go down exactly the way it does in the books, but, this is where I see the show headed in the future. I think the biggest evidence foreshadowing this is actively at the end of the 6th episode where Nightwing is chastising this new group of heroes: The Outsiders, on their reckless behavior that is damn near identical to the lecture the original team received from Batman after the Cadmus mission the team did against their mentors' explicit order in season 1. Ultimately, this is the only direction I see Dick's character arc moving to. It's something that Dick has been running from since the training session from the first season where everyone "died." Either way, it's going to be very exciting to see where the Young Justice team takes us throughout the rest of this season and beyond!

If you haven't yet watched Young Justice, I highly recommend it and there has never been a better time to start than now as the full series is available for streaming on the DC Universe app! I hope you all have enjoyed and We will see you again soon!

'Young Justice Outsiders' Brings the Series Back in a 'Mature' Way

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Relief! where we talk about all the goings on in the world of nerd!

Today is the day! After a cancellation six years ago, the fan-beloved Young Justice is back for a third season: Outsiders. Yesterday, the first three episodes of the series were released and every Friday we will get three more. Before I get too much further, for those of you who are unaware, Young Justice is a show about a covert team of upcoming superheroes (they hate being called sidekicks), who handle missions that are either too delicate or just not in the scope of the Justice League. The series had very warm reception and is probably one of the best-received superhero animated series since Justice League Unlimited, but despite that, the series was canceled in 2013 due to its inability to move merchandise, specifically toys. After years of fan petitions, online movements, and rumors of a Netflix revival, DC confirmed the series revival in 2016 as a part of the upcoming DC streaming service. So now that we are caught up, the question that's probably burning in everyone's minds is "does it live up?" and the short answer is yes, but I have some personal reservations that I will go into a bit later.

The set up for this season is true to Young Justice form with a recap of the final moments of the previous season for The Team, and then a time jump, except this time it's only been 2 years instead of the previous 5-year jump that was very controversial, and right from the get-go the series establishes itself apart from the previous season with a MUCH more mature take on the show. The crux of this season's plot is based around a metahuman trafficking ring, where children with a latent meta-gene are being abducted from hospitals and being turned into Metahumans by the activation of that gene through a substance called "tar." At the same time, The Justice League has pushed their dominion past the reaches of our galaxy and are doing most of their work off-world as Lex Luthor, whose influence in the UN has skyrocketed in the time between season 2 and 3, has restricted the League's Earth operations through increased regulation in their UN charter. This, in turn, has caused a schism in both the League and The Team as Batman tenders his resignation to start Batman Incorporated. All of this happens in established within the first episode of the season, and it sets the tone.

These first three episodes deliver fantastic animation and writing that this series has become famous for, and by shifting their target audience to adults (I mean just look at what I just wrote, most of that stuff would go straight over a kid's head) they are able to embrace darker themes and have more intense situations and fights. That being said, it's this very fact that gives me some very big reservations going ahead. There is a misconception that because something is targetted at adults, that it shouldn't be fun or have any humor. This notion is ridiculous because a balance of tone, throwing in a moment of laughter here and there, allows you to appreciate the intense moments a lot more because that's ultimately how life is. Even on our worst days, there is light and those small instances can at the very least make the day a bit more bearable or at the best can completely untether you from all the bad that happened on that day. Ensuring a balance is there allows for the truest suspense of disbelief because it makes these stories more relatable and real. If intensity is the norm, then why should I be invested in any of it? Sadly, these first three episodes lack the joy and charm that the drew me into the show in the first place and I think that is a huge mistake.

It's interesting because Young Justice is going through the same thing the Comic Industry is going through right now, where books are so focused on trying to appeal to more mature audiences that they have lost the sense of fun and wonder that made these stories great and have instead pushed agendas and personal politics of said writers. Young Justice was initially marketed for a target audience of 10-13 (and older obviously) years of age. While writers are certainly going to push more mature storytelling because it's compelling to them, the restrictions of making it a show everyone can enjoy and age-appropriate watch, writers have to be creative and push those mature themes through nuanced writing that adults can appreciate while simultaneously safely engaging a younger audience. The moment that Young Justice no longer needed to be that, it could abandon those restrictions, which in some ways is great, but with good comes bad.

Where the show has pushed it's more mature themes and storytelling, it has abandoned the personality and the essence that made it so compelling. Goofy Wally West flirting with everything that moves, but still have a heart of gold when it counted; Dick Grayson with his wry remarks on grammatical nuisances to exhibit his whit, but deep down he's struggling with whether or not he's ready to inherit this massive role that the Batman has for him; M'gan acting the ditzy teenage girl in order to hide who she really is for fear of not being accepted by the team; Kald'r struggling with the weight of leadership over his friends; Connor dealing with coming to terms with his own identity due to being a clone of both Superman and Lex Luthor; Artemis being ashamed of the criminal past of her mother, and the current status of her own sister. All of these things made for a fantastic dynamic where storytelling was made even more enjoyable by fantastic character interactions: drama, humor, sadness, etc. While I understand that character progression is important and that the characters they are now should not necessarily be the same as they were in season 1, completely leaving out their dynamic as characters is a mistake and get rid of the investments people have in the show. 

Now, these are only the first three episodes of a 26 episode season, so I am not trying to dissuade people from watching the show. These first three episodes set up a lot and there is a lot of directions they can go, and these writers have yet to let me down. It's just that I came to watch Young Justice, and while Outsiders has had a very good start, it doesn't feel like Young Justice to me anymore and at the end of the day, that's the show I was looking forward to coming back. I would still give these episodes an 8 out of 10, they are very well written, the animation is some of DC's best, and I am even digging the fact that they are bringing in the DC Animated Universe's designs for characters to make it feel like cannon within that Universe, and it does have some moments that really will hit home for fans of the show since its start. The show is still good, it just is missing a key element of personality, that again could be there in future episodes, we'll just have to see.

This has been another edition of Comic Relief! I hope you have enjoyed and we'll see you again next time!

Ending a Controversy: The Key to a Good Superman Film

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Relief! Where we talk about all the goings on in the world of nerd!

Recently the world celebrated the anniversary of probably one of the most iconic entries into the genre of superhero films, a movie so big, you'd believe a man could fly. I am of course talking about the classic 1978 masterpiece Superman starring the late Christopher Reeves. For years this movie had been the golden standard of how to handle a Superman film, however, with the release of the very controversial film by Zack Snyder: Man of Steel, the debate on how to properly depict the last son of Krypton has never been hotter. With that in mind, I feel like I have come to the solution to this debate, so without further ado, I am going to talk about how the key to making a good Superman film.

Now before we talk about the things that are essential to making a good Superman film, it's important to point out the failings of his past forays onto the silver screen. Criticisms of the old 1978 movie, are for the most part nitpicky and are very much a result of the film not aging well. The dialogue was starting to be dated by the time it was filmed, and so, as a result, it's not the easiest movie to appreciate from a newer audience's perspective. However, what this film had that more recent iterations lacked, is the heart. Snyder's approach to Superman has quite frankly been an utter character assassination, which only becomes more of a shame considering that they have probably the best casting for the role since Christopher Reeves in the 70s. While Man of Steel was not a complete loss on the character, Batman vs Superman takes everything that is special about Superman and dumps it in the garbage. Now fans of Snyder's vision will defend these films as trying to explore the more "human" side of the character. While I can definitely agree that an attempt was made in Man of Steel those attempts were abandoned in the follow-up. Superman is portrayed as a godlike figure put above mankind, and Snyder's use of cinematography to portray Superman as a Jesus figure shows just how out of touch the director is from the character because ultimately the key to understanding Superman is that despite all his power, he does not see himself as being any better than anyone. Because ultimately the thing Snyder's fanbase claims to be the drive of his vision is, in fact, the key to approaching a Superman film, depicting his humanity.

One of the biggest complaints about this character is that his power has no limits. No foe can touch him and so it ruins the suspense of most fights. Because of this, action sequences are NOT the key to a good Superman film. If you want proof, Man of Steel has probably some of the best action sequences for Superman that there have ever been made, but at best the film is polarizing to fans and critics alike. The thing that drives a Superman story is his connection with people. Honestly, I think that this is where the old Superman film thrived. The film revolves around Superman saving people,  while the villain plays a very minor role in it. Lex isn't a constant threat, he's in the shadows and doesn't unveil his plot till the last half hour of the movie, and even more unique is that the challenge he provides Superman isn't a fight with a big bad, it's a labor that pushes the very limits of Superman's abilities and if he fails a lot of people will die, including the woman he loves. What makes a good Superman film is his connection to the people around him. It's showing that the Kents provided Clark with an understanding of humanity's best traits so that even when he's faced with the worst versions of ourselves, he has this beacon (in the Kents) which allows him to overlook that darkness and still believe in us despite our failings. Superman is supposed to be a light of hope that reminds us of the best parts of ourselves, inspiring us to be that better person.

A Superman movie should not be about a display of power, sure action sequences will be there. It's a superhero film, you wouldn't really be able to engage an audience if  Superman didn't stop crime and get into an occasional scuffle. That being said the key is his humanity, it's the Kents who showed him the best humanity is capable of (not a paranoid farm couple that would rather protect their son's identity than be proud of him for saving a bus full of drowning children), it's friendships like the one he has with Jimmy Olsen or romance with Lois Lane that give him reasons to push beyond what he even thought was capable. The key to a Superman film is its heart, because it's what makes him special, that beneath the bulletproof skin and all the powers under the sun, his heart beats for his family and friends the same way ours do.

While it's unclear as to when we will get our next entry of Superman on the silver screen, I hope that they give him a film that allows people a chance to see why he's the special character he is. If WB studios want a Superman film that will draw in an audience, they should put less emphasis on the action blockbuster and more on creating a narrative that appeals to everyone the way only this character can. This has been another edition of Comic Relief! I hope you have enjoyed and we will see you again soon!