The Batman: Pics, Videos, and Other Awesomeness

In a land ruled by the Disney trilogy, you only need to be enjoyable to gain lots of praises.

 

Sure, contrast helps a lot. Many people (especially the old school crowd) didn't like the two movies of the sequel trilogy very much, which seems to be the demographic The Mandalorian (and Rogue One) mainly caters to.

But back to Batman et al:
Considering how fans react to Harley Quinn I wonder which way the next Batman will go concerning ratings.
Has anyone of y'all heard something about that yet? Are we expecting an R rating?

 

I do not expect a Batman animated series that has a R rating like the new Harley Quinn show. Batman is basically the boring straight man character in a world of wacky over the top characters. That style of dark humor would not work if Batman was the star.

I could work if ersatz Batman was the star.



When Hollywood has an accidental hit like Joker, they often take the wrong lesson. I do not want to see a darker Batman. It really bugged me in Dawn of Justice how casual Batman was about killing people. He didn't go out of his way to kill people but he certainly didn't go out of his way to not kill people. Tim Burton's Batman killed a handful of bad guys too, but Batman didn't spend the bulk of Tim Burton's films criticizing Superman for killing people.

What I would like to see is a large number of low budget super hero/villain movies. Lower budget movies can take more risks. Lower budget movies force the directors and writers to focus more on the story. The biggest problem with high budget movies is that there are so many investors and interested parties that everyone fronting up a buck wants to have some input on the final product. Too many cooks spoil the broth.

What I expect to see is a general grittier tone in future DC (and Marvel!) movies that mildly annoys people. They are probably going to greenlight a movie or two focusing on the origin of other villains and they will do okay. They will make a profit but they won't make an astounding profit. Then this trend will be ridden into the ground and the status quo will be resumed.

I wouldn't mind seeing more animated shows like Harley Quinn, but I don't expect to. It has a fairly high production budget. I don't expect it to make enough money to attract imitators or even get a third season. It's a different style and genre but I really liked Blade the Series on the Sci-Fi channel. It was well-received by fans and critics, but it cost too much to make. It lost money, so it never got renewed.

 

that's some serious commitment!

 

A good segue to this random Batman thought as any.

In every version of Batman I've seen the Riddler is considered Batman's least threatening villain.

Batman TAS, Young Jusice, the animated movies, the live action movie, and now the new Harley Quinn show.

There is an exception. The Batman. One the whole I'd consider The Batman a less entertaining version of Batman TAS. The Riddler might be one of the few villains where The Batman outperforms Batman The Animated Series. The voice actor is very good and menacing and the writing on Riddler episodes is solid.

Clayface is better too. Also, the Black Mask episodes are very good. Batman TAS didn't event include Black Mask.

That said Batman TAS is superior, but after you've watched every episode of Batman TAS twice, I would recommend watching The Batman before giving Batman TAS lap three.

 

I would like a Riddler that sets deadly and unescapable traps (ala Saw . Not so gory but that level of deadliness). And to survive you must solve the riddles.

A psycopath that is set to kill the "dumb people" , that don't deserve to live.

 

Yes! That would be an awesome villain. Usually, Batman or one of Batman's friends has to solve the riddles or innocents die. His intent is to defeat Batman. I think a Riddler that wants to kill stupid people would be interesting.

Spoiler: Spoiler if you want to read the 1980s The Question comic series

One interesting take on the Riddler was when he had a cameo in Question's comic.

It started with James Gordon and a couple cops pinching the Riddler.

Riddler: "Where's Batman? Did he tell you the answer to my riddle"

Gordon: "No, I solved it. I could have had a rookie solve it. Look no one was hurt, and there was a mistake in the arrest warrant. We cannot hold you this time. Why don't you just hang up the costume, write a tell-all book, and go back to being a professor?"

Riddler is humiliated and dumbfounded. He starts going by Edward Nigma again. He's trying to figure out what to do with his life on a bus on it's way to Hub City. Hub City is where the Question is from and Hub City breeds a special form of psycho.

It's long ride and the woman next to Nigma chats him up. She happens to be a stripper and her stripper name is "Sphinx." Edward explains to her the myth of the sphinx. She would kill travelers who failed to answer he riddles. She was like. "That's cool! We should totally do that!"

So Edward would ask someone a riddle and if they didn't answer Sphinx shot him or her. One by one going through the crowded bus. That was when Question (who was riding as his alter ego) adopted his faceless persona and confronted them.

Notice that he was still wounded from the events of the previous comic. Question has to deal with that a lot actually. Anyway he was limping and not in his usually fighting trim. He ended up confusing Edward Nigma with riddles and philosophical quandaries until he got close enough to sucker punch Sphinx and take away her gun. Question is an unpowered hero like Batman or Green Arrow (with far less money to spend on gadgets), but if he has a super power, it's getting inside people's heads.

It ended with Edward Nigma deciding to go back to his less lethal and brutal riddle games.

 

I want to see this ASAP, but if I pay money to buy or rent it, it will show up on DC Universe the next day...

I am frustrated with DC Universe. Sometimes the new animated movies come out really quick like Hush and Reign of the Supermen. I'm still waiting on the new animated Constantine and Wonderwoman animated movies. I've pretty much given up on them getting Batman vs. the TMNT. I think a different company other than Warner Brothers might own the rights to the Ninja Turtles.

 

How does Bane eat with that respirator?