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.
Friday, January 25, 2019
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.
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
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
Saturday, January 12, 2019
'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!
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!
Saturday, January 5, 2019
'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.
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!
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.
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!
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
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!
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!
Friday, December 28, 2018
'Titans' Finale Prooves an Explosive Episode Without Much Closure
Welcome Back to another edition of Comic Relief! where we talk about all the goings on in the world of nerd!
So I need to first apologize as this post is a bit delayed, however, I wanted to make sure I got to watch the Titans finale a few times and make sure that I hadn't missed anything. The final episode of the first season puts the series protagonist, Dick Grayson, in his biggest test yet. Trapped in a dreamscape created by Trigon, Dick must face his own personal darkness in the form of his old mentor Batman.
Throughout the series, Dick has often criticized Batman for his methods. Dick believes that Bruce didn't actually care about him because Bruce never actually helped Dick cope with his trauma, which to be fair Bruce's catharsis for his own trauma is dressing up as a bat and beating up criminals so I wouldn't really expect his methods would really be helpful to a 10-year-old kid who just lost his parents. Dick believes the only thing Bruce has done for him was turning him into a weapon that Bruce could use in his fight against crime. However, there is a lot of blame that Dick rests on Batman's shoulders that is misplaced and in fact, is Dick's own fault. Either way, the series has been building up to a confrontation between the two and in this finale, we finally get it: Robin vs Batman.
Now before I go any further, I want to inform you that I am going to be delving into SPOILERS as I break down the events of the finale. If you don't care about spoilers, go on ahead, but if you do, you can skip ahead and there will be another disclaimer for when the spoilers end. Now then, let's get started. The story starts off and it appears to be taking place several years after Dick had met the Titans. He's retired from the cape life as an LAPD detective. He's married to Dawn, the iteration of Dove from the current Hawk and Dove duo, and they are both very happy with a five-year-old son and another baby coming around very soon. Rachel and Gar at college, and while there are no signs of Kori at the beginning, everyone seems to be very happy and living their best lives. However, this all changes as a wheel-chair bound Jason Todd shows up to the Grayson household, and his purpose is to plead Dick to return to Gotham and save Batman.
According to Jason, Batman has been in a downward spiral and it all started when Dick left (a fact that Jason claims even Superman can attest to). However, it has recently gotten so much worse. Alfred has passed, Barbara is missing, and with the latest brutal death of Jim Gordon at the hands of the Joker, Batman is broken and is on the verge of breaking his code. Batman is going to kill the Joker, and Dick is the only person who can stop him. After much deliberation, Dick reluctantly decides that it's the right thing to do, to go and save the soul of his former mentor the way that the Titans saved him, and so off to Gotham Dick goes.
Gotham with a broken Batman is a scary sight. In addition, with no Gordon to keep the police force on the straight and arrow, criminal activity has run rampant. Dick tries reaching out to Bruce on the phone and has no luck. Just when Dick is about to give up, however, the dreamscape is manipulated to ensure Dick stays. A loud crash is heard nearby and Dick finds a crime scene where the Joker has been thrown off a building and has landed on a car, face through the windshield. Dick approaches the lead Detective at the scene and gives him clues on where they should be looking, and as a result, the detective deduces that Grayson knows more about how to find Batman. Grayson decides not to give up his mentor's identity because the Joker is revealed to be alive. Dick instead goes back to his old home of Wayne Manor and tries to gain entry through the iconic clock entrance of the cave, however, Bruce prevents the clock from opening. Since he knows Bruce is watching, Dick tries to reach out to his teacher, explaining to him that there is still a chance for Bruce to turn away from that darkness, and that Dick knows that Bruce can do it because he hasn't compromised his moral code since the Joker is still alive. Bruce is revealed to have been watching the whole thing and while we don't see his face, his body posture reveals that he is less than pleased and that Dick's words have had the opposite effect of their intent.
Just to be safe, Dick goes to the hospital where the Joker is being held/treated. Shortly after arriving he meets up with Kori, who is now an FBI agent and has been called to Gotham due to the continued escalation of the Batman situation. During their exchange, Kori and Dick have an amazing dialogue regarding Batman's 'conscience,' to which Dick relays that Bruce has never had one, that he instead had a code and a sense of Justice. Kori eventually tells Dick that he should return home, that he isn't the guardian of Bruce's soul, but before Dick can leave, the dreamscape is manipulated again and Batman shows up, killing the Joker with a Batarang through the heart. That's not all though, with Bruce's moral compass broken, Batman goes on a rampage. He goes to Arkham and massacres all the members of his rogues gallery that are being held there, some guards, and even the warden of the facility. With no other choice left, Dick reaches out to the GCPD Detective from earlier and reveals Batman to be Bruce Wayne.
Dick Grayson accompanied by Kori, leads a GCPD SWAT team on a raid of the Batcave. Dick tries to reach out to Batman one last time, begging him to come in quietly, but the Bat is too far gone. With an explosive Batarang, Batman leaps into action butchering the GCPD SWAT team in a fight sequence that really does capture the nightmare of an unhinged Batman. Kori eventually goes down there to take on Batman herself, but Bruce is prepared and brings out Freeze's cold gun. With Kori firing off her flames and Batman firing the cold gun, an explosion goes off that kills Kori and leaves Batman pinned under the rubble. In the anger of Kori's death, Dick submits to "what Bruce had always planned for him" and kills Batman. It then cuts to the actual reality where Rachel is trying to wake up Dick, however, his eyes are now black like the Demons on Supernatural. This is where the finale ends, with things looking pretty bleak as Dick Grayson has been lost to his own darkness. In addition, they also have a post-credit tease that reveals Superboy breaking out of his Cadmus cocoon and has him rescuing Krypto the super dog.
Spoilers End Here
Titans finale is probably the best episode of the series, however, I feel like I have honestly said that about every episode since the first one has come out. As a show, Titans has done an outstanding job of outdoing itself. It may have started off on shaky footing (click here for my review of the first episode), but it has finished quite spectacularly and honestly, that's what counts in the end. That being said, as great of an episode as the finale is, I feel like it was not an especially strong finale. While I understand that Titans is billed to be a multi-season show, closure is important for any finale. The narrative of a story follows a fairly basic structure: setting, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. While I understand the idea of ending things bleak-looking in the wake of Avengers: Infinity War, there still has to be a level of finality to the episode, and this episode just doesn't have that, in other words, this episode feels like we just got left in the falling action of a story. It feels hollow and honestly, it feels like there should have been one more episode, and what's worse is that very much is the case.
It has been recently reported that Titans was initially billed for 12 episodes and that they did, in fact, have an episode 12 ready to go. However, the showrunners decided to cannibalize that episode for the second season's premiere. Part of me gets the logic, they are hoping to retain the audience for a second season, and a frustrating cliffhanger like this could do it. However, it's sad that they didn't think the show's quality writing and performances were enough to have their audience's investment. Between the show's narrative the writers have weaved for these characters, and the expanded universe they have built (throughout the show they have confirmed the existence of Wonder Woman, Justice League, Superman, and so much more) that makes the cinematic Universe pale in comparison, there is more than enough to return to without such a cheap cliffhanger. That being said, the episode is still too good to be completely ruined by the lack of closure it provides as a finale. I would give the episode "Dick Grayson" an 8 out of 10 and I would give the entire a series Titans a rating of 9 out of 10.
This has been another edition of Comic Relief! I hope you have enjoyed and we will see you again soon!
So I need to first apologize as this post is a bit delayed, however, I wanted to make sure I got to watch the Titans finale a few times and make sure that I hadn't missed anything. The final episode of the first season puts the series protagonist, Dick Grayson, in his biggest test yet. Trapped in a dreamscape created by Trigon, Dick must face his own personal darkness in the form of his old mentor Batman.
 |
Now before I go any further, I want to inform you that I am going to be delving into SPOILERS as I break down the events of the finale. If you don't care about spoilers, go on ahead, but if you do, you can skip ahead and there will be another disclaimer for when the spoilers end. Now then, let's get started. The story starts off and it appears to be taking place several years after Dick had met the Titans. He's retired from the cape life as an LAPD detective. He's married to Dawn, the iteration of Dove from the current Hawk and Dove duo, and they are both very happy with a five-year-old son and another baby coming around very soon. Rachel and Gar at college, and while there are no signs of Kori at the beginning, everyone seems to be very happy and living their best lives. However, this all changes as a wheel-chair bound Jason Todd shows up to the Grayson household, and his purpose is to plead Dick to return to Gotham and save Batman.
According to Jason, Batman has been in a downward spiral and it all started when Dick left (a fact that Jason claims even Superman can attest to). However, it has recently gotten so much worse. Alfred has passed, Barbara is missing, and with the latest brutal death of Jim Gordon at the hands of the Joker, Batman is broken and is on the verge of breaking his code. Batman is going to kill the Joker, and Dick is the only person who can stop him. After much deliberation, Dick reluctantly decides that it's the right thing to do, to go and save the soul of his former mentor the way that the Titans saved him, and so off to Gotham Dick goes.
 |
Gotham with a broken Batman is a scary sight. In addition, with no Gordon to keep the police force on the straight and arrow, criminal activity has run rampant. Dick tries reaching out to Bruce on the phone and has no luck. Just when Dick is about to give up, however, the dreamscape is manipulated to ensure Dick stays. A loud crash is heard nearby and Dick finds a crime scene where the Joker has been thrown off a building and has landed on a car, face through the windshield. Dick approaches the lead Detective at the scene and gives him clues on where they should be looking, and as a result, the detective deduces that Grayson knows more about how to find Batman. Grayson decides not to give up his mentor's identity because the Joker is revealed to be alive. Dick instead goes back to his old home of Wayne Manor and tries to gain entry through the iconic clock entrance of the cave, however, Bruce prevents the clock from opening. Since he knows Bruce is watching, Dick tries to reach out to his teacher, explaining to him that there is still a chance for Bruce to turn away from that darkness, and that Dick knows that Bruce can do it because he hasn't compromised his moral code since the Joker is still alive. Bruce is revealed to have been watching the whole thing and while we don't see his face, his body posture reveals that he is less than pleased and that Dick's words have had the opposite effect of their intent.
Just to be safe, Dick goes to the hospital where the Joker is being held/treated. Shortly after arriving he meets up with Kori, who is now an FBI agent and has been called to Gotham due to the continued escalation of the Batman situation. During their exchange, Kori and Dick have an amazing dialogue regarding Batman's 'conscience,' to which Dick relays that Bruce has never had one, that he instead had a code and a sense of Justice. Kori eventually tells Dick that he should return home, that he isn't the guardian of Bruce's soul, but before Dick can leave, the dreamscape is manipulated again and Batman shows up, killing the Joker with a Batarang through the heart. That's not all though, with Bruce's moral compass broken, Batman goes on a rampage. He goes to Arkham and massacres all the members of his rogues gallery that are being held there, some guards, and even the warden of the facility. With no other choice left, Dick reaches out to the GCPD Detective from earlier and reveals Batman to be Bruce Wayne.
Dick Grayson accompanied by Kori, leads a GCPD SWAT team on a raid of the Batcave. Dick tries to reach out to Batman one last time, begging him to come in quietly, but the Bat is too far gone. With an explosive Batarang, Batman leaps into action butchering the GCPD SWAT team in a fight sequence that really does capture the nightmare of an unhinged Batman. Kori eventually goes down there to take on Batman herself, but Bruce is prepared and brings out Freeze's cold gun. With Kori firing off her flames and Batman firing the cold gun, an explosion goes off that kills Kori and leaves Batman pinned under the rubble. In the anger of Kori's death, Dick submits to "what Bruce had always planned for him" and kills Batman. It then cuts to the actual reality where Rachel is trying to wake up Dick, however, his eyes are now black like the Demons on Supernatural. This is where the finale ends, with things looking pretty bleak as Dick Grayson has been lost to his own darkness. In addition, they also have a post-credit tease that reveals Superboy breaking out of his Cadmus cocoon and has him rescuing Krypto the super dog.
Spoilers End Here
Titans finale is probably the best episode of the series, however, I feel like I have honestly said that about every episode since the first one has come out. As a show, Titans has done an outstanding job of outdoing itself. It may have started off on shaky footing (click here for my review of the first episode), but it has finished quite spectacularly and honestly, that's what counts in the end. That being said, as great of an episode as the finale is, I feel like it was not an especially strong finale. While I understand that Titans is billed to be a multi-season show, closure is important for any finale. The narrative of a story follows a fairly basic structure: setting, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. While I understand the idea of ending things bleak-looking in the wake of Avengers: Infinity War, there still has to be a level of finality to the episode, and this episode just doesn't have that, in other words, this episode feels like we just got left in the falling action of a story. It feels hollow and honestly, it feels like there should have been one more episode, and what's worse is that very much is the case.
It has been recently reported that Titans was initially billed for 12 episodes and that they did, in fact, have an episode 12 ready to go. However, the showrunners decided to cannibalize that episode for the second season's premiere. Part of me gets the logic, they are hoping to retain the audience for a second season, and a frustrating cliffhanger like this could do it. However, it's sad that they didn't think the show's quality writing and performances were enough to have their audience's investment. Between the show's narrative the writers have weaved for these characters, and the expanded universe they have built (throughout the show they have confirmed the existence of Wonder Woman, Justice League, Superman, and so much more) that makes the cinematic Universe pale in comparison, there is more than enough to return to without such a cheap cliffhanger. That being said, the episode is still too good to be completely ruined by the lack of closure it provides as a finale. I would give the episode "Dick Grayson" an 8 out of 10 and I would give the entire a series Titans a rating of 9 out of 10.
This has been another edition of Comic Relief! I hope you have enjoyed and we will see you again soon!
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