All posts by Whelmed1016
@Arise Etrigan So you were a fan of BTAS’s “Big Bad Harvey?” Retrospectively, I’ve found it a little too heavy-handed in the foreshadowing, Nevertheless, it’s truly an interesting interpretation to have the Two-Face persona merely be a traumatic manifestation of Dent’s preexisting psychosis.
IIRC, The Long Halloween wasn’t until 1996, a few years after the original BTAS episodes. As such, the Two-Face episodes did indeed set a new precedent for the character, while simultaneously pushing the limits of appropriate children’s television from a thematic and storytelling standpoint.
That being said, I think I still prefer the “acid thrown on face in courtroom” transformation detailed in The Long Halloween (which was even alluded to in Batman Forever). I liked how Loeb characterized Dent as the mysterious workaholic who seemed a little more comfortable pushing the moral boundaries Gordon and Batman were restrained by.
His subsequent embracement of Two-Face felt like a sudden liberation of Dent’s subtlety developed dark side, which I felt was a little more nuanced and compelling than even the BTAS iteration.
On that same note, I’d work for Two-Face... at least that way I have a 50/50 shot at survival whenever I inevitably screw up😅.
I’m a little unsure what your critique of Joaquin Phoenix’s performance is (as Roscoe aptly pointed out, he’s one of the most prolific actors in the business and perhaps the primary reason why this movie is being taken seriously to begin with).
I struggle to understand people’s eagerness to judge the quality of a film based on a couple of trailers. Joker’s, in particular, didn’t really indicate anything beyond vaguely illustrating what the movie was about.
Leto’s Joker felt like an attempted homage to the Golden Age Joker, a psychotic killer clown throwing in with the criminal underworld, albeit Suicide Squad left a lot to be desired on that front, in my opinion.
Lastly, the Joker is not a role model. He may be the victimized protagonist of this particular story, but no amount of marginalization or disenfranchisement should ever be an excuse to carry out heinous deeds. He’s not a tragic hero. Phoenix’s Joker, even with how much he deviates from the source material, is no exception.
Even if the film glorifies the Joker, it falls on audiences to be mature enough, smart enough, and GOOD enough to recognize the Joker is a representation of evil and depravity, and understand he is not to be admired.
Frank Miller will forever have my respect for writing Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns, two of my favorite Batman comics of all time.
At the same time, he’s become like that weird uncle who you feel the inexplicable need to invite to your Christmas party every year, even though he’s a rather unpleasant fella😅. You read his stuff, but it’s more out of obligation, in my opinion.
I love TDKR, but I have little interest in reading any of the sequels, including this one.
Sorry Frank, but we’ll still let you help decorate the tree this year🎄
Tommy, no one is trying to be offensive (well, maybe except for Etrigan... but he’s a demon, it’s part of his charm😉).
You have the right to express your opinion, but you might want to consider that your opinion here is based on a few trailers you didn’t like (trailers don’t usually reflect a movie’s quality) regarding a movie you haven’t seen and are indicating you refuse to see.
Thus, your opinion comes off as ill-informed and superficial, almost like you’re judging a book by its cover, so to speak.
There’s nothing wrong with saying you don’t care for Joker or Todd Phillips’ film, but I would ask you to think about criticizing a film that hasn’t even come out yet.
This is not a film about a comic super-villain... it’s about a broken man’s descent into madness and anarchism using the Joker’s name to sell tickets.
Buddy, why are you angry that Joker got a standing ovation if you haven’t seen the movie and say you have no interest in seeing it? Why do you care about arbitrary genre classifications? On Wikipedia, of all places?
Some free advice, take it or leave it: Concerning yourself on Joker being a psychological thriller or a superhero film is not time well spent.
Go outside and get a breath of fresh air☀️. Much better for you health👍
Favorite Retcons:
•Joker’s “Pale Man Origin” - In Snyder’s Batman: Endgame arc, Joker was stated to actually be some sort of immortal being using Dionesium to maintain his longevity. Props to Snyder!
Adding another plausible origin to the Joker only further compounds his mystery, and the more we can get away from acknowledging one concrete origin for the Joker, the better!
•DC Metal - A lot of events in DC Metal retconned some elements of Snyder’s Batman, including the role of the Court of Owls, “preparing” Batman through all the different exposures to Metal, Barbados being the Bat that inspired Bruce, etc.
I’m a huge fan of DC Metal, and I really enjoyed all these extra details. It’s not very “Batman-like,” but the idea that multi-dimensional forces were involved in Bruce’s life from the beginning is a pretty cool concept to me. Besides, BATMANIUM!😂
•Flash: Rebirth - Tons of great things in this mini-series, particularly Barry Allen being revealed to be the creator of the Speed Force and the tragic revelation of Thawne murdering Barry’s mother.
Brining Barry back into the spotlight after Wally was the only Flash for decades is no small task, and further developing the Speed Force as if it were a character was a nice touch.
Nora’s death at Thawne’s hands also solidifies the hatred between Flash and Reverse-Flash and provided for an interesting dynamic going forward.
•Dr. Manhattan being responsible for Prime Earth - While everything regarding Rebirth, Doomsday Clock, and the Watchmen seems to be buried and forgotten, it was a great twist when it was revealed Manhattan was the puppet master behind everything (or ya know, the puppet who can see the strings😉).
•And MektonZ already mentioned Green Lantern: Rebirth!
The Three Jokers concept was perhaps my most anticipated comic for quite sometime, especially coming off what I thought was a stellar run on Justice League by Geoff Johns.
As other have aptly mentioned, it’s frustratingly endless postponement, as well as the publication purgatory Doomsday Clock is in, is indicative that the original vision for what Rebirth was supposed to culminate in is largely derailed.
From what I can tell, writers like Scott Snyder and Brian Michael Bendis seem to have replaced Johns as the main creative talent dictating the direction of DC’s universe.
Rebirth felt like a great move during the early days of its inception, but the overall lack of cohesiveness makes me agree with @MektonZ: we’re about due for another status-quo reshaping Crisis.
@Ensylum Bane: Conquest is the name of it. You should check it out, it’s a nice read!
I’d want a series about the Rogues, with an emphasis on Captain Cold. Their code of honor make them more compelling than most villains (and that way you’re not rooting for a bunch of amoral sadists😅).
I’d like to see them depicted as a dysfunctional family of sorts. They’ll fight a lot, but explore their rather unorthodox brotherhood and why they continually work together. I’d find that sort of soap opera drama interesting!
In terms of a villain who deserves more recognition, I’d go with Vandal Savage.
Young Justice has done a phenomenal job in showing how dangerous and effective of a super-villain Savage can be, and I’d like him to escape the shadow of being just another Ra’s Al Ghul.
I’m with SforHope on this. I’m really interested in this movie, and think it’ll be a fantastic character piece on a broken man’s descent into villainy and madness... but he’ll only be the Joker in name.
I don’t think we should compare Joaquin Phoenix’s upcoming Joker performance to Heath Ledger’s as they are two completely different characters.
The former is depressed, mentally disenfranchised man who seems to lash out against a society he views as corrupt and apathetic.
The latter is a more classic comic book villain who’s sadistic apathy is solely motivated by his hatred of Order and Justice as embodied by Batman.
In my opinion, asking if Phoenix can surpass Ledger only creates unrealistic expectations that simply won’t be fulfilled by the upcoming Joker film.
I’m a really big fan of the cartoon-like art of guys like Darwyn Cooke and Bruce Timm (Time Sale is up there especially due to his work on Batman, but he always struck me more as an abstractist).
While neither is necessarily my favorite artist of all time, their work is a constant reminder how fun and dynamic superheroes are (although credit to the inkers who often give the art a vibrant aesthetic).
A character’s philosophy is hard to describe, as each writer inevitably will take a character in a different direction from other writers, making a universal philosophy hard to maintain.
I guess there are lessons or messages that each character conveys, at least from what I’ve interpreted.
For example, Batman’s “philosophy” is to never quit, no matter the odds. Despite lacking superpowers, Batman continually puts his life in the darkest of circumstances that both reality and the impossible have to offer, and refuses to stop until good triumphs over evil. I find that rather inspiring.
Another example: The Flash‘s “philosophy” is to keep moving forward. The Flash puts an impossible burden on his shoulders, feeling like his powers should mean that he’s fast enough to save everyone, when that inevitably isn’t the case. The Flash has to move past his demons and mistakes and instead be the hero he was destined to be.
At least, that’s how I look at it😅.
Whenever people talk about Joker dying, I always go back to a scene from Batman: The Brave and The Bold between Dick Grayson and an older Joker:
“You’re supposed to be dead. How did you—“
“Oh, who cares? I’ve been blown up, dropped down smokestacks, fed to sharks... I’m the Joker! I always survive!”
Classic Joker😂. I think he’ll take those Fatalities like a champ!
Grimm is the guy with the Hawk profile pic, yeah (still trying to learn who everyone is around here😅)?
No better term than encyclopedic N8. Fate asks a question about a rather obscure character, and you dish out a three-paragraph overview!
Kudos, my man! I still have to rely on my physical copy of The DC Comics Enclyopedia😅
N8, you absolutely blow me away with your encyclopedic knowledge!
While I don’t currently have any pre-orders, I do love getting them!
I remember on one occasion, I had forgotten that I pre-ordered the Injustice 2 video game😅. After a rather dismal day at school and work, I came home to find a lovely package with my copy of Injustice 2 inside, waiting for me like a Christmas present!
Basically, pre-orders are fun for me since I often forget that I actually pre-ordered anything, so they wind up being nice surprises😁
BTW Fate, that is one awesome statue of Darkseid! I’m digging that classic design.
For the most part I only read DC. However, I am interested in what Valiant Comics has to offer, and may check out some of their titles in the future.
I also read The Savage Dragon, an older Image series by Erik Larson, and I am looking to collect Invincible by Robert Kirkman.
I don’t read Marvel and don’t plan on starting anytime soon for a multitude of reasons.
The New 52 put JSA characters like Alan Scott, Jay Garrick, Dr. Fate, and Al Pratt in the Earth 2 continuity, a series that I really enjoyed.
I know that Rebirth has brought back Alan Scott and Jay Garrick in what I hear were pretty epic fashions, but I don’t know the details.
Freedoms Fighters would be cool as well!
^I second that Johngat! I remember Warlord’s appearance in the Justice League: Unlimited cartoon, which was one of my favorite episodes. A modern comic featuring him would be super cool.
I’d like to see more of Alan Scott’s kids, Jade and Obsidian, perhaps in a mini-series. I’m currently reading Geoff Johns’ JSA and I love their contrast of light and darkness.
^I thought you wanted to read Final Crisis, now you want me to give away the details?!😂
What did you want me to describe?
Welcome to the community!
Other folks around here can explain this better than I, but I can help you go through the basics of it all.
In 2011, DC’s Flashpoint, a story where the Flash’s meddling with the time stream created a dystopia, ended with The Flash resetting the timeline with the help of a being called Pandora.
This directly led into the New 52, which was a hard reboot of the DC Universe. This led to the creation of Prime Earth, and New Earth continuity (everything from Crisis on Infinite Earths - Flashpoint) was gone.
Kind of.
Some elements of New Earth found its way into Prime Earth. Many of the New 52 titles pick up 5 years into superheroes’ careers, so it’s likely they took part in that time frame.
But New 52 soon became a convoluted mess of continuity, and DC launched their Rebirth line. This reintroduced many New Earth concepts, like the return of Wally West and New Earth Superman.
Rebirth also foreshadowed that Dr. Manhattan of the Watchmen was responsible for the discrepancies plaguing many of DC’s superheroes’ histories. Much of that is explored in Doomsday Clock, I believe.
That’s about it. DC continuity is rarely consistent or discernibly logical, so I wouldn’t sweat it too much:)
The Batman issues were my favorite part of Final Crisis. Actually, they are some of my favorite comic issues period.
Superman Beyond is a tough but for me to crack, and I just don’t think it was my cup of tea. I also didn’t quite understand really anything that had to do with Fourth World.
And as a pretty big Shazam fan, it was a little off-putting what Morrison did with Mary Marvel. Same with Wonder Woman.