On this week’s Small Screen Heroes, Batch is joined by the returning Adam Bunch! The 2 Whovians (big nerds) have a spoiler filled recap of episode 1 “The Pilot” and episode 2 “Smile” of the new 10th season of Doctor Who. With this being Peter Capaldi’s final season as the doctor, there is a lot of speculation about who will replace him. So we give our predictions and speculate what will happen for the rest of the season. Also, are we totally sure that Nate Peterson isn’t really the doctor’s new companion Nardole?
We also cover Titan publishing’s new Doctor Who line of comics and the total radness of the big finish radio play that’s featured in all the classic docs reprising their roles and telling untold stories with full production values.
The crossover event entitled “The Button” has started and we cover parts 1 and 2 in the new issue of The Flash and Batman and break down how it’s going to effect the DCU in the months to come.
Somewhere Jack is yelling this is bullshit.
And finally we do a quick review of the new DC animated movie Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, there is a update on the goings on on Marvels Secret empire event with evil Hydra Captain America making his move and we address the recent controversy Marvel had with X-men Gold number one and the subliminal art messages the artist tried to sneak in.
Are you excited about Doctor Who returning? Are you fuming like Jack Valley that Batman got his ass royally kicked by the reverse Flash?
Adam Bunch from the Bunch: Bagged and Boarded podcast joins Batch this week for some deep in the paint comic talk.
Supersons is awesome even though Damian Wayne is a dick, Thor looks like he’s going to get his hammer back in time for the new movie and what happened at the end of The Clone Conspiracy?
The latest goings on in Flash, Supergirl, Legends and Arrow are recapped, the casting news on the new X-Men universe TV show, as well as the epic teaser to Deadpool 2 that got dropped on comic fandom. And is this truly the last time we will see Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and is he ever gonna put on that damn yellow spandex?
More comic TV shows have started, which means that Batch watches all of them so the rest of the staff don’t have to. The first few episodes of Legion and Riverdale are reviewed and we give you the lowdown on what is good and what is terrible.
Batch is joined by friend to all Denny Luis to talk about how awesome Marvel’s current lineup of Star Wars books are and why everyone should be reading them.
Marvel’s next event Secret Empire is upon us and we give you the low down on what it’s all about and why Steve Rogers being a undercover hydra agent is kinda rad. There’s also a pretty important tie in in the new issue of Deadpool.
We also get into Ben Affleck not wanting to be Batman anymore, Mel Gibson possibly directing Suicide Squad 2, My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, DC’s Young Animal imprint and Warren Ellis new Wildstorm reboot and just sick we are of reboots in general.
This episode of Small Screen Heroes is the first our classic superhero tv show commentaries where we spotlight some of great and not so great episodes of shows we’ve all grown up with and love dearly.
So this week I recruit Episode 4 as we put on our respective cowls and spandex (i’m definitely Batman, he’s Robin) and watch some episodes of the classic Adam West Batman series, specifically episodes 5 and 6 of the first season entitled the Joker is wild and Batman is riled. These episodes are huge because of their the first episodes of Cesar Romero as the Joker, so strap on your utility belts, get turbines to speed, tell Aunt Harriet to go suck a ba-ba-dick and enjoy the ride.
0:02:04-Law and Gilbert are on the scene. Middle names get brought up. OK, why not. Moreno? MoreNO. He’s celebrating his one year anniversary of getting hitched. Congrats, you cocksucker. Kupka gets called. He talks about Riot Fest. He leaves. Then Smash Valley shows up. He talks about the New England Patriot Games. Nobody cares. Then they spend 2.5 hours finding sounders. Goddamnit.
0:27:22-WHAT DID YOU WATCH? Valley checked out Bloodfather. Ammon got baked and watched the original Blair Witch. They effortlessly transistion to talking about the new Blair Witch, which Valley gives his thoughts on as well. Law switches gears to Behind the Mask: The Batman Dead End Story and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates. Ammon has got a shitload-The Shallows, Hard Target 2, Standoff, Holidays, London Has Fallen, Jane Got a Gun, and Colonia/The Colony. Don’t know what it’s fucking called. Circle back to Law with USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage. Valley exits in grand fashion.
2:21:35-GOOGLE VOICE.
2:49:34-Patreon bullshit. Eric King sends in a question-it’s a doozy, so just listen the fuck up.
2:59:42-TV ROUND UP. Ammon made Law watch American Horror Story. Law chats about South Park. Ballers and Vice Principals is next. Ammon loves Atlanta. Law checked out One of Us, Roast Battle, and Documentary Now. Fall TV is discussed. Law’s beer is discussed. And then Ammon and Law discuss movies they watch with their kids and/or will show to their kids. That’s it. Get lost, cocksucker.
Another Summer box office weekend, another “record-shattering” movie release. This past weekend, Suicide Squad came along to set the movie world on fire, immediately dividing the masses into two main camps. You either like the movie or you hate it. Well, that is, unless you’re trying to protest against Rotten Tomatoes, take down critics for disliking the film and picketing against Marvel. In the age of Social Justice Warriors, entitlement and parity for all, the movie-going world is changing for the worse. Marvel, for all the good they have done since 2008, clearly have had a negative effect on the studios around them. This is no more evident than their main comic book rival DC and their handling of the creation of an inter-connected movie universe of their own.
Man of Steel was supposed to kick these films off, a film which included a Superman that doesn’t smile. That was followed up with Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, a patently idiotic attempt at launching a wave of DC cinematic goodness that fell flat for being poorly written and horribly conceived. Now, Suicide Squad, a film whose trailers looked genuinely interesting, featuring a new take on arguably DC’s greatest villain ever, was a disjoined, badly made and stupid movie. There is an argument to be made that all comic book movies are kinda stupid, and I get that, but Suicide Squad is the kind of movie that forgets about its own logic halfway through the film. DC is going south quickly, and despite the amount of money they earn on opening weekend they are failing many of their fans, myself included, consistently.
I know this seems like a simple thing to say but there is a simple way to combat the slew of shitty films that get thrown out way. Simply put, do not go and see these films. We are at a point where audiences are more interested in seeing a certain character on screen than caring about the actual story in the film, and that is a shame. Suicide Squad, for all its faults, does have an interesting story to be told…it’s just 100% different than what they went with. But studios aren’t going to stop shoveling this shit in our faces until we decide to do something about it.
This past year we had a Snow White sequel, a Tarzan reboot, more young adult novel adaptations like Allegiant and a few other genuine pieces of trash. While those were properly ignored by the masses movies like BvS and SS are manipulative in the way they are made. SS featured Batman in the trailer, and of course anyone would want to see him in the film. His screen time amounts to 2 minutes that mean nothing to the story, but at the point most people understood this the ticket was already sold. Take, in comparison, Marvel’s Civil War, featuring the first appearance of ***SPOILER ALERT*** Giant Man on screen. They didn’t play this up in the trailers, they didn’t advertise it elsewhere. Marvel knew the strength of its story was enough to intrigue people and didn’t resort to masking a shitty movie with a lot of pomp and circumstance.
It is tough to know what will be a good film and what will be a bad one these days. Trailers are made to sell you on a film, and oftentimes those are better than the finished film. I think we need to be more conscious of movies and pay attention to the ones that deserve more exposure. Sing Street, The Nice Guys and Hail Caesar are the types of films I want to see more of in theaters. Movies that are well made, sure to entertain and are different than a bunch of people in costumes punching each other with their laser-penises. Let’s try to be better fans and give love to the stuff that needs it or else it may not be around much longer.
Garrett has something to say, and we all should listen. That’s right, Sneaky Juan Collins got a sneak peak at the latest from the DC theatrical universe and feels strongly one way or the other. Does he hate it like Jack hates BATMAN vs. SUPERMAN or does he love it like Law loves CIVIL WAR? The answers are inside. Meanwhile, the other two asshats on this show grill Garrett on who’s the best character, who’s the worst, and everything else you need to know before this weekend. Get it done.
The Killing Joke is a big part of why I love Batman. Back in late 2007/early 2008 I was introduced to the essential Batman graphic novels. The Long Halloween, Hush, Arkham Asylum and The Dark Knight Returns were eye-opening, but it was The Killing Joke that had the most profound effect on me. It seemed the writers of these Batman books understood how to create a story that lived within the covers of its own volume moreso than other comic writers. The average person could pick up Hush and, without doing any additional homework, appreciate it for the great story that it is. While a lot of Batman books share this idea, The Killing Joke is so singularly its own thing that it earns additional praise as the years go on. An animated version of the story is a no-brainer, especially given the popularity of Bats in the past ten years and the success of previous animated features like The Dark Knight Returns and Year One. All the pieces were there, including Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill returning to the cast and an R rating, the first animated DC film of its kind from Warner Brothers. So how, exactly, did it go so wrong?
It is important, I think, to look at this story in context, so here are the bullet points for those of you who aren’t familiar (SPOILERS EVERYWHERE). The novel begins with Batman going to Arkham to speak with Joker about their future and what is in store for the both of them. Batman seems earnest in trying to reason with Joker as he plays a game of solitaire, half-listening to Batman. It is revealed that the man across from Bats is an imposter and Joker has escaped again. Batman, immediately, is on the warpath. The novel then shifts to a dual-plot, telling the story of Batman hunting Joker while also showing a young comedian, revealed to be Joker, trying to make a career and life for him and his pregnant wife. All this is told in flashback, and we see the comedian’s fall from grace after taking a deal with some local gangsters. Part of what propels the action in the main timeline is Joker’s attack and kidnapping of Jim Gordon and his daughter, Barbara. Joker shoots her through the pelvis and shatters her spine, rendering her paralyzed from the waist down. Before leaving, it is suggested that Joker may have committed heinous acts against Barbara due to pictures he takes at the scene and uses against Jim Gordon to push him over the edge. If you want to know the rest of the story, I implore you to read the novel.
You could watch the movie, but I would strongly suggest you cut out the first section of the film. You see, the filmmakers made a really odd choice in that they wanted the story to have more focus on Batgirl. To further flesh her out, they added an opening prologue plot about her and her infatuation with Batman. Also, she really likes being around Batman. Furthermore, she is constantly talking about Batman. Did I mention that she likes Batman? While there is some ham-fisted plot about Batgirl trying to take down a local crime lord named Paris Franz (ugh), the prologue does nothing useful outside of make Batgirl look like a useless little girl. There’s a controversial sex scene added in which is really out of character for both parties involved, but rather my issue with the change is that these writers have completely missed the point of what makes this novel great.
The Killing Joke is a Batman vs Joker story at its core. There’s an argument that one could make about it being about Jim Gordon, but to me the unique nature of the story, especially due to the largely controversial ending, is how it confronts the notion of Batman and Joker as rivals/enemies. The story is framed around two attempts on Batman’s part to help Joker and redeem him. It seems that for once the Dark Knight is trying to do something different and make a real positive change. He sees the writing on the wall, and knows it only ends with one of them dead. Because of this, and Joker’s response to it, The Killing Joke has endured for almost three decades. The animated film completely diminishes this story in favor of forcing a “strong female lead” into the plot.
Right now we are in a strange moment in film where there is an intense emphasis on gender equality in film roles. Ghostbusters, The Force Awakens and even Star Trek Beyond have gone out of their way to cast strong female leads that aren’t dependent on the men in their lives, and that is a great thing for girls growing up looking for the same role kinds of models us guys have had for years. The Batgirl subplot just seems like a cheap attempt at gender equality in a story where it is not even close to being a factor. The entire story of Batgirl’s prologue is this long-winded response to misogyny to the point where Batman actually has to explain to Batgirl how she’s being objectified by the villain. I’m sorry, but none of that has anything to do with The Killing Joke. It is unnecessary and, frankly, stupid commentary in a story that has a completely different focus and point to it.
For a flick I was looking forward to this was a big disappointment. When the flick is sticking to the source material it’s ok, but the animation does look cheap and thrown together. The cinematic polish of The Dark Knight Returns in particular is completely gone here. There is also a really odd choice to not embrace the original art style and color tone of the novel which just screams laziness to me. This is not the worst thing I’ve ever seen, and it’s not the worst piece of Batman on film I know of, but it certainly has some glaring issues that I can only assume were the work of a really misguided creative team, and that is Why This Sucks.
Holy hell…… in case you weren’t around last night on FaceBook, a bunch of assholes (Moreno, Kupka, Law, Pete MC, and The Professor Rob) recorded a live BingeCast. Below is the result of us managing to press record at some point and document it for all to hear. Within we discuss STAR TREK: BEYOND, Stranger Things, LIGHTS OUT, Roadies, all the Comic Con trailers, Preacher, and a million other things that make my head hurt trying to remember.
I do know at one point we fight about Kubrick vs. Spielberg vs. Fincher and the fact that Moreno leaves for two hours. Dude can’t even record a whole show when we do it at his house.
Google Voice is played, there are live sounders for the first time ever, and Kupka stays awake for the whole night.
That’s all I got. I’m hung over as shit. Other stuff blah blah blah.