Showing posts with label teen titans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teen titans. Show all posts
Saturday, 23 May 2009

A DC Team Movie- Why wait for JLA?


JLA is the aspiration of the DC comic movie and will bring in mega dollars for sure but why, with all the storyline troubles and potential actor clashes are they focusing on this as their big team hope? In the near future Marvel is going to unleash the Avengers and it will probably be awesome but its not like the characters that film will focus on are anywhere near as big as the JLA. So, with this in mind why doesn't Warner counter with a movie that can boast some recognisability and challenge people's expectations like Iron Man did?

1) Teen Titans- Should really be called Titans or The Titans.
We know WB have ordered a script for a potential movie starring Nightwing, so it will skew older than the cartoon and avoid comparisons to stuff like Sky High. They have a villain named Deathstroke the Terminator, this movie could be as dark as Batman.The story is there and there is recognisability from the hit cartoon and merch that went with it. Any issues with Dick Grayson after the nipple incident are irrelevant, if Batman can be rehabilitated so can he. Characters like Batman don't even need to show up, the cartoon went 5 seasons without mentioning him or green arrow or flash. It was not their story so they were irrelevant. We don't have to know where in the timeline this is compared to Bale's Batman just a good self contained story.

2) JSA
The first Superhero team brings fun for all the family. The only downside is WB's lack of faith that Joe movie-go-er will understand how there can be two Flashs, two Green Lanterns and why Kara Zor-L isn't Supergirl. This is easy PG-13 popcorn fare with characters from teens to grandpas. It has such a broad appeal. It would need a director capable of handling large casts and fans who understand that not everyone can have a starring role and may be reduced to a cameo. JSA is more JLU than JLA could ever be.

3) Legion of Super-Heroes
Something very different, its set in a utopian future (its not really utopian otherwise why would they need crime fighters but its what people use to describe the Legion future for some reason) with so many powers this movie could be a feast for the eyes. Any downsides would arise from the landscape, its totally unlike anything on earth so it runs the risk of being as fake as Coruscant. Done right it could be as visually satisfying as the Lord of the Rings movies and just as epic. The Legion is a mash up of everything in the DCU, the intergalatic scope of Green Lantern, the home base of Superman, the variety of the JSA and the family aspect of the Titans. With its two seasons worth of shows on Kids WB it reached a good audience. I think it has been said that the amount of people who watched the premiere made up the total number of Legion comics sold in the last 5 years. Legion spent 15 years without Superman/girl in their pages so its not like they would be essential for the movie so past movie continuity would not messed with.

There are even more, Doom Patrol, L.E.G.I.O.N, Metal Men. There are no bad suggestions just bad execution.
Thursday, 23 April 2009

Whatever Happened to the Loyal Sidekick?






Putting my Oxford English Dictionary uni-based subscription to mis-use I looked up the term Sidekick

SIDEKICK:
1. A companion or close associate; spec. an accomplice or partner in crime; a subordinate member of a pair or group. More loosely, a friend, a colleague.
2. Criminals' slang. = SIDE-POCKET 1. U.S.

3. An incidental criticism; a passing or indirect attack, a ‘side-swipe’

This whole thing began with a debate on the DC Comics Supergirl messageboard brought about by the new solicitation of Superman/Batman

SUPERMAN/BATMAN #62
Written by Michael Green & Mike Johnson
Art and cover by Rafael Albuquerque

When the inmates take over Arkham Asylum, it's a job for the World's Finest duo – Robin and Supergirl! Rafael Albuquerque (BLUE BEETLE) joins the series as regular artist for a story we could only call "Sidekicked!"

As we all know the first superhero sidekick in the form was Robin, the Boy Wonder. Introduced in 1940 after just a year of Batman's first publication. It was this partnership that made Batman famous yet certain 'fans' consider Robin an embarrassment. Famously director Christopher Nolan refuses to add Robin to his movie interpretations. Being a sidekick is treated as embarrassing, yet Robin is more famous that 99% of the DC Universe. He is an icon, part of the World's Finest and founder of the Teen Titans. Yet the modern equivalent of World's finest excludes the character in favour of Superman/Batman. The five seasons of animated series Teen Titans shows that the character is still speaking to young boys and girls, is still cool and is still incredibly important. All this said he gets less respect than Aquaman. Why?

The tragedy of the sidekick is that they can never become the master. Comics are a static form, Batman will not stay dead for long, Superman never stayed dead for long and Wonder Woman is never far away. Creators constantly have the Legion from 1000 years in the future fanboy these 3 characters as 'the best'. How depressing is that? In 1000 years it never gets better than this. The next generation is in a constant state of subordination. Dick Grayson of course graduated to Nightwing yet was never considered equal to Bruce. He may soon become Batman..again. Which will be incredibly intresting as to how much respect he gets in the DCU as a whole compared to Bruce. It should also be interesting to see how Wally is treated now his mentor has returned from the dead.


But as will all popular characters, they can't be kept down. With Tim Drake's Robin a self titled comic was created and not long after one for his predecessor Nightwing. They were successful for 12-14 years detailing the duos soli adventures. This is where out OED definition stumbles. Tim and Dick were not sidekicks in these volumes. During the period these were published the focus in Batman was more on his struggles and the duo was put aside. I haven't counted but I would bet Tim Drake has more solo adventures than team ups with the Dark Knight. Of course we can't forget the Teen Titans, founded by Robin and 'sidekicks' in the Silver Age. While the boys of the group were tagalongs of the older heroes Wonder Girl was a new creation. She was created when the writer confused a tale of Diana as a young Wonder Girl rather than Wonder Woman as a separate character. (Its interesting to note that Supergirl was excluded despite seeming like an obvious choice in the 60's) Here the sidekicks could have their own adventures but by having their own adventures separate from their mentor they become less of a sidekick and more independant heroes. After all, the definition requires the duo to be together.


Of course the definition is flawed. Lets break it down into its parts

A companion or close associate

an accomplice or partner in crime

a subordinate member of a pair or group

More loosely, a friend, a colleague


and lets apply it to other characters

Commisioner Gordon, A companion or close associate of the Batman- for sure, A partner in crime- does partner against crime count, Batman depends on Gordon's role in the Gotham Police and so the Commish is therefore an accomplace to the Batman's actions, a subordinate- in what way? Batman is more skilled and more famous.


Mon-El- a companion or close associate of Superman- of course, he is 'Superman's Big Brother', an accomplice or partner in crime- in the legion and in the modern day, a subordinate member- while he is as powerful as superman he lacks experience and knowledge of modern life.


Both characters I think we'd agree aren't sidekicks. By this loose definiton Batman is Superman's sidekick in Superman/Batman. Its time to make our own definition based on

-amount of time spent as a team, all characters work together, some more frequently than others

-role of the 'subordinate' character. There are many ways to be subordinate both in-universe and based on hype/popularity.

No popular character can be a sidekick, there will always be too much demand for more focus on said 'subordinate'. Fans will demand more active roles for their favourites, compatance and equality! I would like the in-universe suggestion that while these heroes are good the future is bright, Dick Grayson will eclipse Bruce Wayne's reputation by leading the Justice League against a Starro Invasion of multiple planets. That Donna Troy will reconcile the Amazons with Men and create an alliance against evil in all forms. That Supergirl will live on and on and on and on as kryptonians do and when the Earth meets its end she moves on and continues her fight against evil across the stars.

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