TV Review: Batman: Caped Crusader season 2

Quoth the Joker: “Good. This is good.”

The reimagining of the era-defining Batman: The Animated Series returns for a second season, and much like the second movie in the Nolanverse, this time the story explores what happens to Gotham’s rotten underbelly once Batman starts removing ordinary mobsters from the board. What happens, as you’ll remember from The Dark Knight, is that a more devious, more sophisticated breed of evildoers emerges. And, as is customary in this show, Batman’s extensive repertoire of enemies is remolded with interesting twists.

Take the Mad Hatter, for example. The classical version of this character is a creepy little goblin who uses neuroelectric technology for mind control. But here we get something harder to fight: a sweet old lady with a talk show. She doesn’t need fancy gadgets to influence people because she has the power of mass media. This version of the Mad Hatter never meets Batman in a fight, but her presence is strongly felt throught the season each time she’s on screen poisoning the public conversation.

We also meet Roxy Rocket, who instead of a mere henchwoman is portrayed here as a tragic antiheroine on a mission of revenge. Also out for revenge is the Spectre, whose deadly, unstoppable wrath may or may not be divine, but is definitely not of this world. There’s the Mad Monk, a predatory cult leader who has made Batman the focus of a mass obsession. As promised in the trailer for this season, Harley Quinn returns, faced with both the weight of her own actions and the threat of a villain who seems tailored for her professional talents. The dual character of Rose/Thorn makes an appearance in an episode that plays with ambiguous interpretations about which side of her is real. And we see a version of Mr. Freeze reinvented as a rather unconventional artist who enjoys turning people into icy sculptures.

But the presence that haunts the season from start to end is the horrifying gaze of the Joker, who gets the most radical transformation away from the archetype we’ve learned to expect. Although the Riddler enjoys a long stay under the spotlight as Gotham’s new mob boss, the show pulls off a funny move of metatextual awareness and turns the Riddler into a mere appetizer for the main course that is the Joker, which, after all, is what the Riddler has been for decades in the public’s ranking of villains.

This Joker is a complete surprise. Story after story has trained us to expect a very specific vibe from this character: an irreverent prankster whose perverse sense of humor conveys a deep disdain for the social order. He’s colorful, loud, annoying in a way that’s impossible to ignore. This Joker is none of that. He doesn’t bother dressing up his psychopathic impulses in clownish antics: he’s pure, naked malevolence. He’s elusive, silent, shady to the point that he thinks of himself as an equal to Batman. He still has his trademark poison gas that kills people of laughter, but he himself never cracks a smile.

How can a character be so polarly opposite to the standard Joker and still be an incarnation of him? If he views society as one big joke, he’s keeping the punchline to himself. That makes his personality all the more sinister: you know he’s privately enjoying the chaos, but he’s not going to explain what it is that he finds so funny.

Beyond the visual delight that is the retro aesthetic of this art déco Gotham, with its black-and-white TV shows, clunky machine guns, and ubiquitous fedoras, the main attraction of the show is the inventivenes with which it makes the same old villains you think you already know feel fresh again. For a hero approaching 90 years since first publication, this is a much needed and much welcome transfusion of new blood.

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10.

POSTED BY: Arturo Serrano, multiclass Trekkie/Whovian/Moonie/Miraculer, accumulating experience points for still more obsessions.

TV Review: Batman: Caped Crusader

A clever reinvention of the costumed crimefighter for the Defund the Police era

If you loved Bruce Timm's legendary Batman: The Animated Series (and since you're human and alive, you definitely did), his new show Batman: Caped Crusader scratches the persistent itch you've carried all these years. The series adopts a retro look similar to the earlier one, although sometimes it looks too clean in digital animation compared to the grainy, almost tactile surfaces that could be achieved by drawing by hand. What does remain unchanged from the original show is the grounded, human-sized evil that Batman fights every night (while occasionally venturing into the occult). Far from the intergalactic conquerors and alien/mutant/robot/demigods that are the staple of Justice League plots, Caped Crusader explores instead the thorny struggle to redeem the soul of Gotham City while the powers that rule it and are supposed to protect it become hard to distinguish from its colorful gallery of rogues.

The terms of Batman's relationship with the Gotham City Police Department are remarkably variable across incarnations. From a chummy partnership in the Adam West era to bloody hostility in the Ben Affleck one, this element of Batman's mythology has served, whether intentionally or not, as indirect commentary on the assumed effectiveness and desirability of a police force. In the 2016 animated film Return of the Caped Crusaders, the dynamic of the 1966 live action TV show is deconstructed to hilarious effect as it lampshades the fact that Adam West's Bruce Wayne exists in a Gotham City where the police is mind-bogglingly inept. At the other end of the scale of cynicism, Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne becomes a vigilante in part because the criminal justice system is no longer trustworthy. In this kind of story, e.g. the Nolanverse or the Gotham show, Jim Gordon is typically singled out as the only honorable cop in a corrupt institution. This "good apple in a spoiled barrel" approach has the advantage of being a tiny bit more believable than the standard bad apples in a good barrel. But sometimes the intended message gets muddled: Jim Gordon is fundamentally decent, but the police department is fundamentally rotten, but the people of Gotham City are fundamentally decent, but the streets of Gotham City tend to make you rotten. In a way, the Dark Knight trilogy is about whether Gothamites are even worthy of being saved. The question sounds scandalous, but the thing with the Batman franchise is that its moral stance hasn't been able to escape the shadow of The Killing Joke and its thesis that every decent person hides a barely contained sinister side.

Which leads us to the character of Harvey Dent and the interesting twist on his villain origin story in Batman: Caped Crusader. In several versions of Dent's arc, it's been a common trope that the trauma of his disfigurement was what gave rise to his split personality. Caped Crusader proposes something less sensationalist: he's always had a sinister side. His all too flexible morals have led him to become a two-faced hypocrite for whom disfigurement is merely incidental; it only makes evident a duplicity that was already there. To reinforce this point, Caped Crusader has him suffer his accident on the right side of his face, whereas the standard versions of Dent have traditionally been scarred on the left side. By subtle use of camera angles, the show implies that the left, intact side is the evil one, and the right, scarred one is his true self.

Cape Crusader's choice to make Dent's pretty face be the false one provides a useful mirror (heh) of Bruce Wayne's situation. A running subplot has him attending court-mandated therapy sessions with Dr. Harleen Quinzel, who is quick to notice the flimsy façade that hides Wayne's unprocessed pain. Their scenes together are fascinating to watch: two characters pretending to seek total openness while guarding the most important truth about themselves.

With so much focus on Batman's psyche and the moral stakes involved in saving Gotham, it's a welcome surprise that the show doesn't avoid the issue of how Bruce Wayne's immense economic privilege is a sign of what's wrong with the city. In one episode, the ritual that exorcizes an undead landlord requires performing a sacrifice of aristocratic blood and burning the original deed to his property; in another, corrupt policemen let a pyromaniac loose in a poor neighborhood as expendable bait to capture Batman. In a later episode, a planned snoburb being built by Wayne Enterprises becomes the literal battleground for control of the city.

You'd think it would be self-defeating for a Batman story to address the frequent criticism that Batman spends his time kicking working-class henchmen instead of challenging robber barons, but somehow Caped Crusader succeeds at it. Underneath that discussion is the unstated question: What would you have Batman do? Terrorize the rich into giving away their fortune? Because that's what this version of Dr. Quinzel does in her spare time, dressed up as the jester who mocks kings, and her brutal methods don't bring Gotham any closer to justice. Sorry, Joker movie, but breaking things is a terrible way of fixing things.

Still, Caped Crusader is honest about the complicity of law enforcement. The mayor of Gotham wants to Serve and Protect only himself, and even in this retro setting without online media, public perception overrules reality. On top of keeping tabs on mob bosses, child kidnappers and hired assassins, Batman also has to fight police brutality, extrajudicial punishment and institutional decay. But he especially has to fight the darkness within himself, the insatiable rage that keeps his inner child from maturing. It's the same darkness that he perceives in Harvey Dent after his accident, and his failure to save Dent from succumbing to his demons is the turning point in the show's emotional journey. There's no inherent heroic destiny in Bruce Wayne; with his horrific origin story, he could easily have become another one of Gotham City's murderous madmen. What makes him heroic is that he wakes up every morning night and chooses not to.

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10.

POSTED BY: Arturo Serrano, multiclass Trekkie/Whovian/Moonie/Miraculer, accumulating experience points for still more obsessions.

This is Not a Review of The Joker

I have often speculated on why you don't return to America. Did you abscond with the church funds? Did you run off with a senator's wife? I like to think you killed a man; it's the romantic in me.

-Captain Renaut, Casablanca

This is not a review of The Joker because, frankly, it doesn't need one. It has been reviewed, and the people who reviewed had the advantage of seeing it, which I lack - mostly because I don't feel the need to see it. I'm not saying it shouldn't exist, nor that it shouldn't be judged on its own merits, because art does have a right to exist - but the right to free speech doesn't mean people should talk incessantly.

 To be sure, it looks good. Juaquin Phoenix looks the part every bit as much as Heath Ledger did, even as my keyboard itself revolts against the veracity of that statement. I - like most people, I think - expected Suicide Squad 2.0 from this; a hot mess of flaming garbage foisted upon moviegoers who should know better - yet, somehow, against all odds and whatever DC movies have been this past decade, what we received was an ostensibly compelling narrative of the origin of the one of the most compelling villains of all time.

Which raises two questions, at least for me. Indeed, they are both the same question - why?

In the first place, why do we need to know the origin of the Joker? For all his iterations through film, television and comics, what bearing does who he is and where he came from matter in the slightest? He is a villain for the sake of being a villain, which is a luxury most people writing fiction aren't allowed, despite it being allowed in real life 2019. It works for the Joker precisely because he is The Joker - insane, given to sadistic whimsy, crafting ornate plans while simultaneously not having one at all. He works because he doesn't have an origin. His adversary, Better Elon Musk, is all backstory. Rooted in his childhood trauma, he puts on a mask to keep it all out. Joker is what he is, unapologetically, always in pursuit of his mercurial goals, but doing what it takes to achieve them - Bats will give up his to protect a life, never willing to make the sacrifices truly needed.

In short, Joker works narratively because he is the perfect antagonist for Batman.

So if you tell me there is a compelling Joker story out there, I am all in. But this movie leads to yet another why - why does it need to exist? Why does it need to exist, specifically in 2019, where we have villains aplenty, particularly of the variety that this film is asking us to sympathize with? Now, there is certainly a place for a sympathetic villain -  they are usually the most compelling. But when we live in a world where real, actual human beings are holding up the Joker and his ilk as heroes, not because of their struggles, but because of their violence and lack of sympathy for the world around them, why are we making this movie?

There is a lot of validity to telling stories outside the traditional Heroes Journey, gets-the-girl and saves-the-world narrative. The same is true of flawed heroes, something other than perfect knights-in-shining armor. None of those things are real or particularly relatable. People are evil and selfish for a myriad reasons; we don't need to explore their backstory every time. We certainty don't have to empathize with them, or be asked to agree with them, or give tacit approval in the way we are so often in the real world as long as it doesn't affect me.

So why don't we empathize with a flawed hero, who maybe doesn't get the girl, who maybe doesn't win, but instead takes the hand they have been dealt and does the right thing with it? Richard Blaine, to whom Renault is speaking in the quote up top, is that (and one of the many reasons Casablanca is a perfect movie, but more on that another time). His arc is him going from being a cold isolationist, with no regard for the people or world around him, because he Didn't Get The Girl, to realizing there are things larger than himself and making sacrifices for that - including the girl he's been pining after.

Individuals matter. People matter. Everyone should feel loved and accepted for who hey are. But it is all too common to see subsets of humanity care about themselves, how they are treated or mistreated or how they perceive they are, and lash out because of it (instead of, ya know, taking a shower and getting out of their internet echo chambers and doing something with their lives that would lead to them being loved and accepted, but I digress).

Art is simultaneously a reflection of who we are, and an image of what we can be. Let's make art that asks us to be better than we are.

-DESR

Dean is the author of the 3024AD series of science fiction stories (which should be on YOUR summer reading list). You can read his other ramblings and musings on a variety of topics (mostly writing) on his blog. When not holed up in his office tweeting obnoxiously writing, he can be found watching or playing sports, or in his natural habitat of a bookstore. 

Thursday Morning Superhero

The big news this week is that Joe Hill's NOS4A2 debuts this weekend on AMC. The story follows a special young lady who ends up tracking down Charlie Manx, an evil being who appears to be immortal and traps people in Christmasland.  I read the book many moons ago and the series looks to be amazing. The first episode is on June 2nd at 9pm.

Pick of the Week:
Batman: The Last Knight on Earth #1 - Reunited and it feels so good! Scott Snyder has paired up with Greg Capullo for a limited Batman series. Batman has awoken from a 20 year coma only to learn that his entire life has been a dream. The characters he has been fighting all of these years in Gotham are his caretakers in Arkham Asylum and he is the person who killed his parents in Crime Alley all of those years ago.  Clearly this is not truly the case, but Batman has to fight his way out of the Asylum and is on a quest to learn the truth. My favorite scene involves Bruce confronting his captors and learning that the cowl was merely a device added to a straight jacket to help with his electrotherapy.  Watching Batman in a straight jacket with a cowl fighting in Arkham is truly memorable.  I am curious to see where this is headed and thrilled to read a book written by Snyder and drawn by Capullo.

The Rest:
Star Wars: Darth Vader Dark Visions #4 - This mini-series of one shot issues veers off course a bit as its focus is more on a rebel who is dealing with issues from his past that prevents him from potentially taking out Vader early on in his rise to power. While it highlights the power of Vader and the Empire, it also humanizes the rebel forces and serves as a reminder that everyone has their flaws.





Stranger Things: Six #1 - This series focuses on an earlier resident of Dr. Brenner's lab who is know as subject Six. She has just joined the program after her parents recognized that she has special powers. There is something holding her back, but she is starting to have visions of the upside down. While it doesn't quite capture the nostalgia of Stranger Things, I am hopeful with the direction this prequel is headed.

Daredevil #6 - A new arc of Daredevil is here and I am not entire sure what to think of it. Daredevil hasn't been seen for months and Matt Murdock is working as a parole officer. The Owl is gaining power and a frustrated Mayor Fisk is reaching his breaking point. This issue feels like the calm before the storm that is going to force Murdock out of retirement despite the fact that he says he has never been happier. What poor tragedy is Murdock going to face that will bring him out of retirement? While there wasn't any foreshadowing in this issue, I fear for Foggy's well being.





POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

My fellow nerds who ventured into the world of SDCC hotels are hopefully receiving confirmation that they got the location of their choice for this year's 50th anniversary of SDCC.  Meanwhile I am counting down the dates until the premiere of NOS4A2 on AMC. What AMC has shared with the public up to this point has me very excited that Joe Hill's creation will have a faithful adaptation to the small screen.

Pick of the Week:
Gideon Falls #12 - The new arc is upon us and we are treated to some of the history of Gideon Falls and the origin story of the Black Barn and the evil with in. It all began in 1886 when a serial killer named Norton Sinclair had killed 13 people.  It is unknown if this is the same Norton Sinclair who was suffering from mental illness and questing for pieces of the Black Barn early in the series, or someone he is related to.  What is clear is that the evil, the man who laughs, is using Sinclair as a doorway between alternate realities.  Father Burke is in pursuit of Sinclair and understands that his religion may serve as a strength in confronting this evil. Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino really outdid themselves in this surprising new issue that is getting at the core of the evil in their creation.

The Rest:
Daredevil #4 - When we last checked in on Daredevil, he had just been rescued by no other than the Punisher himself.  After losing badly to detective Cole following a sting operation, it was looking grim for Murdock until Frank Castle surprised us all and unleashed a torrent of gun fire raining down on the police. In this issue we learn why Castle saved Murdock and the juxtaposition of Punisher vs. Daredevil plays out effectively as Murdock makes his case for his no kill policy.  Punisher follows a simple rule of math and figures that killing on bad guy saves the lives of many. The philosophical debate is capped with Daredevil making an exciting exit and pondering what is next for him as he attempts to clear his name. I remain impressed with the new creative team of Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, and Sunny Gho.

Morning In America #2 - I read the premise of this series, group of teenagers in 1983 small town USA investigate why their peers are disappearing, and I was intrigued. I am a sucker for a supernatural mystery that is nostalgic (Stranger Things, Paper Girls) and I am happy to say that this is an entertaining book. The book centers around a group of young women, known as the Sick Sisters, and their lives in Tucker, Ohio.  Tucker, Ohio is dealing with the issues associated with local industry jobs shutting down and the Sick Sisters are all dealing with the issues they face breaking numerous rules.  A classmate turns to them for help when nobody believes him when he describes some sort of monster that took his sister. The Sick Sisters go to investigate when they learn the police are actively trying to classify all of the disappearances as runaways.  While much lighter than Paper Girls and lacking a bit in the nostalgia factor up to this point, this series has been enjoyable and I look forward to reading more about what the Sick Sisters uncover. Props to author Magdalene Visaggio for giving us a diverse set of protagonists at the heart of her story.

POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

My comic book New Years Resolutions are not going as well as I would prefer.  I am making an effort to read more indie comics, but my attempt at supporting the DC Cinematic Universe is failing. I plan on seeing Shazam this week, but still haven't watched Aquaman despite its recent release on home video.  I have watched Captain Marvel (it was great) and the family and I have begun working our way through the Marvel Cinematic Universe in preparation for Endgame, but attempting to conquer the DC movies just feels like work.

Pick of the Week:
Fairlady #1 - Jenner Faulds posed as a man in order to fight in the War of the Harshland, but following the conclusion of the war soldiers are having a hard time re-entering society. A good number of soldiers have become investigators known as Fairmen. Faulds is the only Fairlady, but has to settle for the cases that nobody else cares about. She resides in the Feld, a town built around the body of a fallen giant robot. In her first case, Faulds is tasked with tracking down a missing woman who made off with some money. In her quest to find the woman, it is learned that she took the money from powerful men as a Robin Hood-esque attempt to right some of the wrongs of the world. Fairlady is a beautiful book that has really piqued my interest to see what other cases Faulds will solve and what their connection to the Feld they will have. If you only read one book this week, I encourage you to check out this title from Brian Schirmer, Claudia Balboni, Marissa Louise, and David Bowman.

The Rest:
Prodigy #5 - Mark Millar's book about super genius Edison Crane is racing towards its conclusion and this issue provides the reveal on the real threat that the world is facing.  Crane was able to decipher a clue that was left thousands of years ago following a time travel mishap from a group of aliens who want to eventually take over the earth. The stranded time traveler carved the blue prints for a device that will serve a bridge to their plant in a temple, but that temple is currently occupied by terrorists with a bomber en route.  The solution is to send Crane and his photographic memory through the temple and memorize all of the carvings while dealing with the terrorists and escaping before the bombs hit.  Millar has really built Crane into a superhuman, but we start to see some cracks in the facade of the professor and the twist at the end of this book is setting up an epic conclusion.  I have been back and forth on this title, but it is definitely a lot of fun and this has been the best issue in the series thus far.

The Batman Who Laughs #4 - Bruce Wayne is finally getting close to uncovering where Joker has the portal that is bringing alternative Batmans (Batmen?) to Gotham.  While there is something nostalgic reading a Scott Snyder Batman book, the art of Jock is what really makes this book something special. This mini-series is getting close to its conclusion and the Joker uses the fear of the Batman who Laughs to turn the police against the real Batman.  After nearly saving Jim Gordon from another dimension, Batman is going to have a hard time returning the various Batmen and Robins to their rightful home and rescuing commissioner Gordon.  Snyder has been emphasizing Batman's code of not killing so I am curious if Batman will be able to honor this in the end.



POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

The family and I are going on a much needed vacation next week so I am going to have to come up with a non-traditional Thursday Morning Superhero post for next week. I am attending PAX East at the end of the month, but that is for professional reasons and I am not sure I will be able to cover it properly.  I am excited to learn more about the world of esports and will hopefully sneak in one or two board games.

Pick of the Week:
The Batman Who Laughs: The Grim Knight #1 - This week we are introduced to the Grim Knight, a Batman from another world with a violent past. Having the same motivations as our Batman in terms of stopping crime, but differing on the methods employed to achieve similar results. It almost feels as if this Batman found the Death Note that Ryuk dropped and is using it to cleanse Gotham. The Gordon from this world is like L trying to track down who this mysterious killer is, despite the good intentions. I have fallen behind the main series, but this issue has me intrigued and motivated to return to a Scott Snyder Batman book and see what the Batman who Laughs, the one corrupted by Joker, has in store for Gotham.

The Rest:
Star Wars Age of Republic: General Grievous #1 - I learned something new about one of my favorite, if not my favorite, Star Wars villains.  George Lucas had bronchitis during the recording sessions and the sound editors thought it would be fun to include. This issue, and I'm not sure if it is a one-off or an ongoing, reads like the fusion of Indiana Jones and General Grievous. Watching him work his way through the Jedi Temple, dodging booby traps and outsmarting those who laid the path before him, was extremely satisfying and I am blown away at what an amazing job Luke Ross did capturing the mannerisms of this being and made him jump off the page. I hope this is an ongoing series as I am always thirsty to learn more about Grievous and who he was prior to the machine hybrid he became in the films.

Transformers #1 - We are treated to a new Transformers series courtesy of IDW publishing. Set in a time before the war between the Deceptions and Autobots, I was intrigued to learn more about life on Cybertron.  This is before Optimus Prime was a prime and was on pretty good speaking terms with Megatron. They are far from friends, but this issue hints at the beginning of what sparked the great war. Overall this book, despite it being a blast of nostalgia, fell a little flat. The art from Angel Hernandez and Cachet Whitman is stunning and they do an incredible job paying homage from a popular franchise.  I am not giving up on this series yet as author Brian Ruckley appears to be setting the stage for something big, but I'm not quite sold.



POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

I am very excited to check out Captain Marvel this weekend, but was alerted to this upcoming "superhero" film that is flipping the script a little bit. It reminds me of Joe Hill's "The Cape" in some ways, and I am very intrigued.  The trailer is not for the feint of heart so consider yourself warned.

Pick of the Week:
Black Hammer '45 #1 - The incredible team of Jeff Lemire, Ray Fawkes, Matt Kindt, Sharlene Kindt and Marie Enger are bringing us all back into the Golden Age of superheroes thanks to this new title from Darkhorse.  The Black Hammer Squad spent their time making the world hell for the Nazi's. They stopped them in the air, on the ground, and in the sea. Despite some of the supernatural creations of the Nazi's, The Black Hammer Squad had little to fear.  The book opens with with members of the team, now in their 90's, getting together because of something significant about the date. We are treated to some thrilling flash-backs, but an ominous final mission seems to be at the heart of this series. This book jumps off the pages thanks to the incredible work by the Kindts and it is always easy to get on board when it comes to superheroes defeating the Nazi's. The creative team behind this series is a powerhouse and I cannot wait to see what went wrong in the final mission and what the team is getting back together for on that fateful day.

The Rest:
Paper Girls #26 - The four girls have been sent to the four corners of the "cube" and find themselves in different timelines all posing their own problems. One of the highlights for me was the Michael Jackson zing that must have been a last minute add that was particular timely. As this time-traveling sci-fi wave of nostalgia races towards its conclusion (it is ending in a double-sized issue #30) the girls appear to have one last chance to return to 1988 and save the world. I am curious if the issues will continue to feature all of the girls or if we will have one issue per girl and the second half of the finale brings it all together. Brian K. Vaughan appears to set the stage for each girl to have their own mission in their current whereabouts and an ally to assist. I fail at revisiting this series when new issues drop and I really owe it to myself to start this series over. Vaughan weaves a complex tale that spans multiple timelines with competing factions that has me scratching my head trying to understand how it all fits together.

Star Wars: Vader - Dark Visions #1 - Marvel unveiled a new mini-series that focuses on some of Vader's side quests. In this on-off, Vader finds himself on a planet that has seen better days. The people of this world live underground after their planet was ravaged by a shark looking Kaiju known as the Ender. People will scavenge the surface for food, but always have a quick route underground should the Ender awaken. Vader's Tie-Fighter crash landing on the planet has awakened the great beast and the sole individual who remained on the surface is treated to quite the epic duel. This felt pretty mindless and cheesy, but entertaining.  It is like a direct to DVD film that is worth checking out on Netflix, but you understand why it didn't make it to the big screen. I will likely check out the other issues in this series if they are as entertaining as this book was.

Batman #66 - Batman remains trapped inside his own nightmares, and his current plan of escaping isn't going to well thanks to the stubborn nature of the woman being interrogated. For some reason Batman feels if he can understand truly why Catwoman, Selina Kyle, truly loves him he will be able to escape.  This issue is an interrogation of Ms. Kyle as we walk through the complicated history the two have and try to gain a sense of their attraction to one another. I find it funny how intense the covers feels compared to the walk down memory lane Catwoman provides throughout this issue. Reading this right after Black Hammer made it feel even more retro than intended. I remain impressed with Tom King's current arc for the Dark Knight and am happy to be back on the Batman Train.  Choo-choo!


POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

Before we hop into this week's trio of comics I thought I would share a Kickstarter for a board game that has grabbed my attention.  In Dead Man's Cabal, you play a necromancer who is trying to raise the dead to join you for a party. While the premise is simple as you gain skulls and spell cards in order to raise the dead, the variable phase order is what has me excited about this game. On your turn you get to determine one action for yourself and one action for the everyone. Do you maximize both moves knowing it will benefit one of your opponents? Do you settle for a move that isn't as good, but doesn't help anyone else either? There are a lot of tense decisions and the Kickstarter has already reached some cool stretch goals including 3D bones as currency and the art ranks up there with some of the best in the business. The next stretch goal is 3D skulls!  Check it out here.

Pick of the Week:
Batman #64 - This marks the start of a Batman and Flash crossover and I am quickly learning that I need to read more Flash comics. I will openly admit that I grew up as a Marvel kid and have primarily dabbled in Batman in the DC Universe. Batman and Flash are teaming up in this arc to deal with a crimewave that is sweeping Gotham. Batman seems to have some sort of insider knowledge on the attacks and we learn that Gotham Girl, who he once attempted to train, is trying to somehow save her brother who was corrupted by Psycho Pirate. Despite having one of the worst names in all of comics, Psycho Pirate is adept at manipulating people and played a pivotal role in one of the arcs that caused me to abandon this series. While that thought has me a bit hesitant for this crossover, the dynamic for Batman and Flash teaming up has me very excited to explore more of the DC Universe.

The Rest:
Vindication #1 - I wanted to like this book based on the premise, but it felt too cliche and hook me despite a solid cliffhanger ending. Turn Washington was wrongly convicted for a murder 10 years ago and has just been set free. The detective who worked the case disagrees, and is set out to make sure that Washington returns to his prison cell at the first sign of a slip up. There are a lot of interesting elements to this book, including some racial undertones, a corrupt system, and attention grabbing lawyers, but it fell flat to me.  I am currently enjoying the latest season of True Detective and wonder if my standards are elevated due to that series having captivated my interest. There is a good chance that this series will improve as we learn more about the murder 10 years ago and the similarity to a recent murder, but I am not quite there.

Star Wars #61 - It looks like we reached the conclusion of another arc and that the Rebels are going to have to engage with the SCAR Squadron in the near future as they have obtained some of their secret plans. This was a big reunion issue as Han and Chewy join forces again, Han returns to his true love the Millennium Falcon, and Luke rejoins Tula after she helped him and the Rebels escape. The highlight in this issue was a two page interaction between C-3P0 and an alien having what appears to be a tense negotiation, only to learn that C-3P0 was nearly advocating for new leg plating which he successfully obtains. It felt very authentic to the humor that has been sprinkled throughout this series and I remain in awe at how effective the comics are at filling in the gaps of the films and remaining very true to the original source.



POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

I am happy to report that my New Year's resolutions are already off to a pretty good start. My weekly recap is back to its usual format and includes one Marvel book, one DC book, and three from smaller publishers.  Nothing too indie, but a step in the right direction. I finally watched Justice League and it was pretty solid. It had a slow start, but did a good job of setting up the DC Cinematic Universe. It definitely has me more motivated to check out Aquaman while it is still in the theaters.

Pick of the Week:
Criminal #1 - I have long enjoyed the Criminal series from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips and was stoked to learn they were kicking off 2019 with a new monthly version of Criminal. If you are looking for some solid noir I cannot recommend this book or any of the previous entries enough. Brubaker is on my short list of favorite comic book authors and his collaborations with Phillips have been second to none.  If the first issue is any hint, Teeg Lawless is in for quite the ride in 2019 and it all started when his son robbed a former professional wrestler for a diamond necklace. Lawless now has two weeks to raise $25,000 and he has lost most of his contacts, including his best friend, while he was behind bars. The first issue maintains the gritty tone established many years ago and I cannot wait to see what is in store for Lawless and his family throughout the year.

The Rest:
Batman #62 - If you took a break from Batman like I did early last year now is a great time to revisit the Dark Knight. Tom King has really made this character his own and part two of the "Nightmares" arc completely lives up to its name. I am not entirely sure what I read, but it was gripping and felt like a page out of a Saw movie. Batman wakes up in a befuddled state, hanging by his feet surrounded by butchered pigs in a slaughterhouse. He spends the bulk of the issue trying to communicate with his captor, a creepy villain dressed in a pig mask, and understand why he is there and why he can't speak or hear anything. King, through Batman's inner monologue, places the reader in the middle of the stench and fear that Batman is facing in this mysterious location.  This was a thrilling read that leaves me hopeful for where King is heading in 2019.

Prodigy #2 - Mark Millar's over the top series gets even more ridiculous in its second issue and that is a good thing. He gives us villains who literally hunt orphans for sport, Edison Crane bribing the Kremlin for 30 minutes of time in a library, and a quest for an ancient scroll that will save the earth from an invasion from a parallel Earth. Crane is one of the most arrogant and entertaining leads I have seen in a book lately and this book honestly reminds me in a strange way of John Layman's work in Chew. You have cartoonish villains, a hero who commands immense power, and a surreal setting that feels somehow realistic.

Star Wars Adventures: Destroyer Down #3 - It looks like this series is spinning off to a potential ongoing focused on the Star Destroyer's past and how it came to be abandoned on Jakuu. The current timeline of Rey attempting to scavenge the ship came to a fitting end after she ran into an Imperial Droid that was sworn to protect the ship. The comical scenes involved her getting tossed into the airlock for what the droid thought was an instant death and in actuality was her falling back onto the barren wasteland that is Jakuu.  Not sure if I will continue this series as it continues, but it was a great all-ages read for Star Wars fans.



Man Without Fear #2 - Daredevil's reboot continues in an emotionally gripping issue in which Matt Murdock admits that he is afraid. Now that Daredevil has been killed and he may never walk again, Murdock has to convince others that he really is leaving that character behind him.  It is easier said than done as Matt is haunted by the ghosts of his past.  I thought it was a bold move to keep this issue confined to the hospital in which he is recovering and was impressed how effective it was.






POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

While the news is about a month old, I don't think I have shared that Hulu ordered a pilot based on Sweet Tooth by Jeff Lemire! Lemire is one of my favorite creators and Sweet Tooth is in my top 5 comics of all time. I am curious to see how the comic will translate to the small screen and hope this gets picked up.

Pick of the Week:
The Batman Who Laughs #1 - When I learned that Scott Snyder was teaming up with Jock for a new Batman miniseries that brought shades of horror back to the Dark Knight I was quite excited. I am happy to report that the first issue didn't disappoint as Batman is now confronted with a Joker/Batman hybrid from another realm. Apparently Joker, no matter what the realm, has a fail safe that will release Joker toxin if anyone were to actually kill him. The Batman in the other realm was successful and is now a Batman who has been poisoned by the Joker toxin and is a force to be reckoned with. Nobody is sure why he has made the trip to this realm, but it isn't good and Batman is desperate to team up with his Joker in a feeble attempt to stop this mad man. Definitely a bit cliche, teaming up with your arch nemesis, but cliche plays well in Batman and I am curious to see where this is headed.

The Rest:
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1 - In preparation for the movie that is coming out this weekend I thought I should read some Miles Morales. I haven't read any since he debuted many years ago and a reboot is the perfect time to start! Saladin Ahmed does a great job reacquainting the reader with some events in the past that have led Miles to his current predicament. In addition to learning about Miles' school, friends, and personal life, we are taught a bit about his family and are led into the story that is going to drive the first arc. It contains spoilers so I won't go into details, but it is an interesting premise that brought The Rhino to town and I am excited to read more. I will likely share this book with my son who is very excited to see the new movie this weekend.

Birthright #34 - We are reaching a turning point for this series and Mikey is forced to confront his younger brother who has been taken over by a magical toxic brought by the witch Kallista. Mikey refuses to fight his brother and we are treated with flashbacks of their relationship prior to Mikey's disappearance.  This was an interesting issue, and while it contained its fair share of violence, really focused on the relationship between two brothers. Despite their differences and how much they have changed due to recent events, they remain connected by a powerful bond. I am a bit worried for what will happen in the next issue, but excited to see Joshua Williamson start to steer this series towards its conclusion in issue #50.



POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Ghost of Movies Yet-to-Come: A Letter to 1997

Twenty years ago this week, I graduated from high school and began preparing to head off into the wilds of film school. I was in love with Alfred Hitchcock and Ingmar Bergman and Sam Raimi, and the recent huge successes of completely independent, micro-budget films like El Mariachi and Clerks made the idea of heading off to Austin and then onto exciting, indie film success seem like a genuine possibility...to an 18-year-old. I had no idea that the film industry was about to start going through a massive revolution, many seeds of which were being planted right there in 1997. So I thought I'd write 1997-me a letter, giving a glimpse of what lies ahead. I'm reminded of Doc Brown's incredulity when Marty McFly tells him Ronald Reagan is president of the United States in 1985. I assume 1997-me would be equally incredulous about much of I have to tell him. Yet off I go, into the Wayback Machine...

Hey, 1997-me.

What's up? It's me. 2017-you. This is the future where I am, and I've got some future-news for you. Might help out as you get ready to embark on a journey in an industry you fundamentally do not understand at all. But that's cool — but that's cool. Even if you understood it perfectly at this very moment, some stuff's about to go down that's going to completely change all the ground rules. So I want to help out.

Here's my advice. Skip the sad indie film scripts you're about to start writing. Just forget them. Skip ahead to the time travel one. I'm not sure if you've thought of that one yet, but that one's fun. When you do think of it, call up Cameron, your friend who can draw super-good, and make it as a comic book. Don't try to shoot it. Don't drive around in the countryside and find an Old West town and drag your friends out there when it's 115 degrees and try to shoot it. Stop. Just make the comic.

Because something weird's about to happen: nerds are about to become big, big business. And comics are about to become the one medium to rule them all, the one medium to find them; the one medium to bring them all, and in the box office, bind them.

I know you're scoffing at this. I don't blame you. Because you're right, George Clooney just killed Batman. Batman and Robin will be the last of the Batman movies...for, almost, ten years. Then they're going to do this thing called "rebooting," where they're going to take a Mulligan on Keaton-Kilmer-Clooney, and start over with a British guy directing, another British guy playing Bruce Wayne, and playing Batman like Chris Barnes from Cannibal Corpse. The voice is going to be weird. You'll like it, because metal, but other people...not so much. They're going to make fun of it a lot on the internet.

Oh yeah. The internet. That's going to be...there isn't time.

Then, after those guys make three really good Batman movies, they're going to stop, and then new people are going to come in immediately after, reboot it again, and start making way more Batman movies. Seriously, right away. With the guy from Good Will Hunting. The dumb one, in that movie. I should tell you, though...no, I can't. I don't have the heart to tell you what happens to Robin Williams.

Remember, a couple of months ago, how you were so excited because Star Wars was back in theaters, but then you left those movies all sort of confused inside? Well, I got some good news and some bad news for you, buddy. George Lucas is going to make three more, brand new Star Wars movies. And man, they're going to blow. Remember how cool "The Clone Wars" sounded when Obi-Wan talked about them? Turns out they were super goddamn lame. Until we got to see them in cartoon form, and then they were pretty cool. But then, Disney of all people, will pay George Lucas more money than God to literally never touch Star Wars ever again, and then shit's going to get real. New Star Wars ever year, from now on. We're still riding the wave, and so far it's pretty cool. We'll see what happens, though. 2037-me may have some bad news for both of us.

Right about the time you're getting out of film school, the Big Thing is going to happen. And the big thing is this: Hollywood will finally understand that Sam Raimi is the best, and they will give him money, and he will make Spider-Man. It will break all the records. It will be badass. They will let him make Spider-Man 2 and it will be equally badass. Spider-Man 3 will really, really suck, and they'll reboot it. And that'll suck, and they'll reboot it again. We're waiting to see how that goes.

Here's why this is important: When 1997 comes to a close, and your mom is doing all your laundry over Christmas break, 16 movies will have made $100 million or more at the domestic box office. That's a lot, right? Total domestic box office of over $6 billion — Billion! 2016 just ended over here and it was...come on present-me, stick to movies, stick to movies...so I've got the numbers right here, and 30 movies crossed $100 million domestically. Total domestic box office? Over $11 billion. Six of those movies will be comic book movies, and most of the rest are cartoons.

Those David Mamet movies you like so much? The ones where people talk and stuff? What I want you to do is not watch those anymore. Just go read comics. Then make comics. Then, maybe learn to draw and start animating your comics. I'm telling you.

Oh...last thing. Don't worry about it. You will, I promise, eventually have sex. I promise.

Signing off, 
Vance K — cult film reviewer and co-editor of nerds of a feather, flock together since 2012 (it's an internet thing, just trust me), Emmy-winning producer (I know, it surprised me, too), and folk musician (really...but I still play drums, too, so don't freak out too much).

WE RANK 'EM: Ranking Nolan

Who comes to mind when I ask you who the most controversial director working today is? Definitely Christopher Nolan, right? Oh, it's not? Well, to be honest, we didn't think so, either, until the Flock over here basically went all Civil War (I was Cap; Vance was Ant-Man) over his filmography. So we decided to make an accord over the whole business and just rank all his movies. Here they are, ranked from lowest scoring to highest:

(2002) Insomnia 4.4

I've never been a fan of Al Pacino, so I derived some schadenfreude out of seeing him thrash around, sleepless. I, however, wanted nothing more than to fall asleep and forget I ever saw this boring clod of night-soil. -Sean

Terrible remake of an excellent film. -Chloe

Not only does his star Al Pacino, i.e. the most overrated actor of a generation, but it's a crap remake of an excellent Swedish/Norwegian film. Like most remakes, this one should never have been made.  -The G

(2014) Interstellar 

Score: 4.8

I thought this movie was delightful. My quibble with the movie is the quasi supernatural stuff with Cooper and Murphy and how that resolves in the black hole / tesseract / whatever the hell that mess was. I disliked that resolution, but everything else? Wonderful. -Joe

Despite an almost visceral dislike of Matthew McConaughey's smug face, and extreme disappointment with the Soylent Green-like revelation that it's just super-evolved humans, not gods or aliens or anything, who reach through time and tesseracts to save a smirking idiot like him, the world-building is lush, and despite its way-too-long running time, the story is thrumming with tension (thanks, I think, to the excellent use of sound throughout).  -Sean

You want to talk overrated? I'll tell you what's overrated: this steaming pile of hot garbage. I saw it at the Hollywood Cineramadome on opening night, where the crowd tends to be a bit drunk and a bit rowdy. Needless to say, the cringeworthy dialogue elicited laughter on more than one occasion. That said, there might be a good 90 minute movie in this bloated, 169 minute monstrosity. Just terrible.  -The G

One of the five worst movies I have ever seen. I would give it a negative rating if I could. Boring, pretentious, and comically inept. Any smart science is lost in how stupid this movie is. -Dean

(2012) The Dark Knight Rises 

Score: 6.2

It had all the problems of Dark Knight (the all-or-nothing morality, etc.) and more: a totally gratuitous femme fatale in the underutilized Marion Cotillard, the 'reveal' of her true colors about as exciting as a mid-career M. Night Shymalan twist. Unfortunately, it also had little of interest; I was cheering for Bane. -Sean

I'm not really sure what the complaints are all about. -Joe (I'll fill you in- Dean)

(2005) Batman Begins 

Score: 6.5

I hate prolonged origin stories and that's what this film is all about. Plus the growl voice is super lame. -The G

I really enjoyed this when it came out. It was the first time I saw anybody own onscreen how psychologically screwed up Bruce Wayne is, and I dug that. -Vance

It's Batman. Origin stories are so unnecessary at this point. -Joe

(1998) Following 

Score: 6.8

I walked away from this movie thinking, "Yeah, that was good," not thinking, "Yeah, that was pretty good for spending no money except on film stock," and that's a true testament to what this film gets right. I could write an essay about how hard it is to accomplish something like this in the way Nolan & crew accomplished it, but I'll just say it's a hell of a first at-bat. -Vance

An extraordinary first effort, cinematographic gold despite the tiny budget, this put the world on notice to expect great things from Nolan. -Sean

(2010) Inception 

Score: 7.2

An OK film that I think gets remembered more for the ending than the actual movie. Great visuals and performances (bonus for basically making the US aware of Tom Hardy) -Dean

It doesn't really make sense, but it's beautiful and strange, and really, what more do we want in a good film than that? -Sean

For years, I had an ongoing Surrealist art project with a friend, so I'm a sucker for dream stuff. This was a big-budget movie that -- while not deep -- was at least thoughtful, and not based on a franchise. It's the kind of movie I wish there were many more of. -Vance

(2006) The Prestige 

Score: 7.5

Awful adaptation of a great book, knows nothing about stage magic, empty af (But David Bowie) -Chloe

One of my all-time favorite movies. Great writing, direction and performances throughout. -Dean

(2008) The Dark Knight 

Score: 7.6

An excellent superhero film, and it has a really badass score too. A bit empty, but remember--this is a superhero film. They are all empty. I loved both villains. -The G

This is about as good as a superhero movie can be, really. Of course the morality is laughably black and white, but it's got twists, it's got turns; you'll laugh, you'll cry--it was better than Cats! -Sean

I know I'm in the minority. Yes, Heath Ledger is great, but the repeated "Save one or the other" plot device bored me, and I have a kid who was the same age as Gordon's, so watching Dent hold a gun to his head for 19 hours (felt like it) was unbearable. A profoundly negative theatrical experience for me. -Vance

I love this movie- academically. It does so many thing right, and well, and Ledger is amazing. Then I re-watched it the other day, and does anyone else remember that this movie is eight hours long? No matter how good your movie is, if the audience is checking their watch with 45 minutes to go, it's too long and too overstuffed. And that is with a lot of very tight editing. -Dean

(2000) Memento 

Score: 8.4

Great idea, interesting filmwork and editing, GUY PIERCE -Chloe

A film so good it was unsettling, thanks to Nolan's technical skill: imagine this story in the hands of a more established (at that time) director! -Sean

Enjoyed this one when it came out; saw it again a few years ago and felt it mostly held up. -The G  

Those are our thoughts on Christopher Nolan's films- what are yours? Chime in!