#supershows

Like from the minute he enters that sewer and sees those kids he is PISSED.

Bro sees the sewer king fall into a pot of crocodiles (after Bruce himself kicks his feet in and makes him fall) and is just like “A gruesome fate for a gruesome man” (he does offer his hand as hes falling but like, still, no guilt, not a shred)

He even admits it “I don’t pass sentence Thats for the courts but this time? This time I am sorely Tempted to do the job myself”

Continuing on my superhero show reviews (tm) I’ll be reviewing the second episode of the CW supergirl.

To start with the positives:

I wanna say upfront that I liked this episode better than the last one, and Im SUPER HAPPY to see that Kara’s unique relationship with Krypton being so central to this episode. The flashbacks to krypton, the use of her aunt as a villain. The lines “I watched one world die I won’t lose another” “funny I was just about to say the same thing” go hard.

Im hyped for Allura as the main antagonist of the season and am excited to see her fleshed out.

And Im also warming up to Jimmy being in the main cast, I’m still not 100% sold on him being here over using a Kara supporting character from the comics but I appreciate it seeing as it’s clearly a purposeful writing choice to set Jimmy up for an arc.

Kat Grant continues to be the best character in the supporting cast

“I have a policy against using my friends for business”

“And I have a policy against losing”- LMAOOO.

The guy in the chair is officially more boring this episode than he was in the last one. (I will call him by his name when he becomes interesting enough for me to care about)

I like seeing Kara start out as inexperienced, it gives her room to grow. Even if I think her creating ecological detestation is low-key brushed aside way to fast. Like no, people wouldn’t forget that she caused one of the worst oil spills in this cities history after 1 montage.

I feel like the best way to fix this scripting issue would be to have Kara solve a problem but cause super high, unintentional PROPERTY damage that’s still SUPER BAD (will cost the city a bunch of money to repair, still emphasizes the danger in someone as powerful as Kara fucking up while trying to help people) but not to the point of devastating an ecosystem with a once in a century oil spill that everyone then gets over after one montage.

Im also glad to see the show tone down the “sexist while trying to be femminist” dialogue.

I still find some of the normal dialogue sorta grating, though admittedly I can’t quite put my finger on why. It’s not like I’m against cheesy superhero dialogue and hope speeches, I like Superman 2025 and that has plenty of cheese. Maybe it’s just a bit to many hope and to much repeating that Kara has a “heart of a hero” speeches for a 42 minute show?? Idk I’ll have to come back to this point after Ive watched some more.

Im also somewhat concerned with the direction the writers seem to be taking with the prisoners so far, mainly that (as of now) they seem to have really underutilized, like Im on episode 2 and other then Allura none of these guys seem to have any personality, motives, or even a half decent costume! Heck we never even learn what crime these guys did to be locked up! A prison of space criminals is a great set up to give Kara a varied, intresting rogues gallery full of people locked up for different crimes that can match up with the lesson of the episode and/or mirror and contrast Kara herself, but so far it’s only been used go give us generic monsters.

It is only the second episode though, so this might change!!! Its not an absolute thing.

(The cgi has not gotten any better and honestly I don’t expect it to; but man I wish this show would invest in a choreographer these fights are utterly weightless)

I actually really jivve with the show characterizing Clark as being a loner in comparison to Kara, im not sure how well it matches up with the rest of the CW (I have not seen Lois and Clark) but the characterization of Clark as someone who has a tendency to go it alone and have trouble working with others is something other media go with and I like it! Bro literally lives in the fortress of solitude, and his immense power and feelings of alienation as a child making Clark think he has to take on the weight of the world on his own like Atlas is a character beat for him I enjoy.

I wanted to review “on leather wings” today, but unfortunately HBO decided to fuck me over personally and stopped working correctly. So unfortunately I won’t be able to review any BTAS tonight, HOWEVER Netflix DID provide me with another superhero show to watch! So supergirl fans tonight is for you!

To begin with, theirs a lot I like about this show so far! Kara herself is a very charming protagonist, kind, helpful with a strong sense of justice. Everything you’d want in a superhero!

Her costume I think is also pretty solid, brightly colored and cute. Im fond of her insistence on wearing a cape.

And I gotta appreciate a good pun when I see it!! I see you supergirl show naming your first episode “pilot” and I like it!

For the episode itself, I think it sets up Kara, her supporting cast, and the overarching plot of the season (series? I don’t know how long the alien prisoner stuff is gonna go and didn’t bother looking it up). And I actually don’t mind her working at a media conglomerate like the daily planet. It’s very clear to me that a lot of the similarities between Kara and Clark in terms of career are purposeful writing choices. The tribunal is in many ways a mirror to Kara herself, a news station run by a women that is smaller, less popular then its older cousin (the daily planet) in metropolis. The show itself in many ways seems to be ABOUT THAT, about what it means to be Supergirl in relation to Superman (and why the representation for young girls that supergirl represents matters). Plus journalism in general is a great job for a superhero to have AND tell us ALOT about Kara as a character, even before becoming a superhero hero Kara wanted a job that would let her help people.

I am less jazzed about the other changes to Kara’s comics backstory, mainly the lack of Argo and her coming to earth at 8 rather than 15.

One of the things that makes me interested in Kara is that she, unlike Clark, came to earth as a teenager, a teenager who had lost her home TWICE. Her grief regarding Krypton is fundamentally different to Clark’s. Clark is mourning the home he never fully had the time to know, even on earth 1 the oldest he got before losing Krypton was 3. Meanwhile Kara lived a full decade plus on Krypton/ the city of Argos before their destruction. She watched everything she knew and loved crash and burn twice!!

It’s a fundamentally different immigrant experience and one Clark has that Im kinda sad the CW show decided to skip over it inbfavor of smoothing out Kara’s backstory. I get the the comics can be kinda convulted and the city of Argos can be a bit silly and hard to translate (especially with the CWs limited budget) but I would of liked to see them try! im not demanding 1:1 accuracy (honestly I don’t think accuracy is in of itself is that fundamentally important to a good superhero adaptation) but at least having Kara arrive on earth as a teen would of been a boon in my book.

I haven’t not completely lost hope in Kara’s different relationship to Krypton compared to Clark being explored in a meaningful way (Kara in this show did still spend considerable more time on Krypton compared to Clark, her adoption was still much later in life) but I do think it’s a shame the show knee caped itself so early in this regard.

I also think a lot of the dialogue in this first episode could get kinda bad at certain points. It has some good bits! (I like Jimmy a fair bit) But I think the conversation regarding the supergirl name for example was pretty cringe lamp shading written to badly counter feminist critique’s of supergirl’s name. Its a shame, because I think I would of loved the scene if it just fully leaned into the boss women being in the wrong for naming a fully adult hero “girl”, it would of both been a great explanation for supergirls name and good commentary on misogyny within the superhero genre. Instead we have the boss lady give a long winded explanation about how she is a girl to and actually supergirl is a great name and this is actually about how Kara needs to learn to believe in herself tm (she DOES, Kara needs to learn to stop caring about how other people perceive her in comparison to Superman, but how the scene approached that idea bugged me). “Cat and the Claw part 1 and 2” has similarly corny “feminist” dialogue about “never underestimating the opposite sex” that ends up being sexiest by trying to feminist (as well as obsessive cat puns), but:

1. That piece of dialogue is not (badly) lamp-shading the meta textually misogynistic elements within its own work and

2. That show was made in the 90s primarily for 12 year old boys. while supergirl was written in 2016 to inspire girls. I thus have higher standards for how it handles these concepts.

There are other bits of dialogue in this episode that feel kinda forced to me, particularly dialogue that came from Kara’s sister somtimes sounded a weird?? Though I might just be being overally judgement here.

Moving on from that, while I think the show did a solid job of introducing its supporting cast, Im not 100% sold on all of them yet. (Other then Kara’s sister)

1. I find the “guy in the chair” character to be, so far, boring at best and annoying at worst and I hope he gets some more depth in later episodes beyond having a way to pushy crush on Kara.

2. Im 50/50 on Jimmy being in the supporting cast, on one hand he acts as a useful bridge between Clark and Kara. On the other hand a part of me wishes they had given Kara a supporting character of her own instead (maybe remixing a character from Kara’s Bronze Age supporting cast?, I haven’t read that run so I wouldn’t know who to use) and have Jimmy just be a visitor from the planet to deliver that Superman line. But again, Im 50/50 on this idea.

(The Boss lady is great btw, no notes I love her, I ❤️ terrible women)

I am super interested in how the prison plotline involving Karas mother mother turns out, as I do think it’s a unique idea that adds flavor to this version of the character. And also Im a sucker for stories about mothers and daughters (watching Hilda will do that to you).

More petty grievances I have include:

-Kara not wearing blue on her shitty date to spite the previous scene setting up she would

-The mid ass fight choreography which combined with the bad cgi floating leading to some pretty lackluster looking action that they can’t really make up for via having animated characters I like looking at (that latter bit is admittedly a personal preference thing but it’s one I stand by, I never claimed this as an unbiased review)

“Help stop it, Stromwell. All your power and money has bought you is an empire of misery”

———-

Ohhh this is one Ive been excited about for awhile. I ADORE this episode. I adore its message, I adore its tone, and I adore Stromwell and what he represents as a character. Genuinely think “It’s Never too Late” is an underrated gem in BTAS. I think it’s a perfect representation of what BTAS is at its best, a dark world with a strong 1920s-1940s look that none the less has a deeply hopeful heart.

The premise is strong and simple, an aging Mob Boss of a collapsing empire is brought on a journey by Batman (who wants his records inorder to further damage the power of the mob) to confront the ways his wrongdoings has hurt himself and the people he cares about, in the hopes of convincing him to change, while the enemy mob tries to hunt him down.

It’s simple, it’s strong, and is well executed all the way through. Great for this version of Bruce, yes (who once again shows his desire to give people a chance to change) but it’s also a good character piece for Stromwell himself. The reveal around the half way point that it wasnt his rivals that kidnapped his son, but the drugs he was selling forcing him into a rehab center was one of the highlights. And of course the scene at the end where him and his brother reconnect and reconcile.

—————

What is there for me to say about “heart of ice” that hasn’t been said before? What could I possibly add to the conversation that hasn’t been added 100 times? That its a wonderful, tragic reimagining of a silver age villain? That Mr. Freezes dialogue is beautiful and verbose in a way that perfectly suits the tone of the episode? That the plot as a whole is tightly written from beginning to end? How Batman himself is also on top form throughout (competent and deeply compassionate) ? Like, what glowing praise can I give to Heart of Ice that hasn’t been said before? What can I possibly add,

Even the flaws in heart of Ice, (like its flagrant use of the women in the refrigerator trope) has already been litigated upon at length, their really isnt anything to be said,

HBO is working again! Which means I get to review BTAS (don’t worry supergirl fans I have not abandoned you, I will be reviewing supergirl today as well after this episode and “Heart of Ice”)

This episode was actually BTAS original pilot, and depending on which streaming platform your watching on might be your first episode instead of “Cat and the Claw part 1”. And it’s a good introduction! Gordon, Harvey, Alfred, and Bruce himself are all well characterized throughout. It even has a brief appearance from pre tragedy Harvey dent to get you familiar with him before the inevitable.

The episode itself also has a plot and premise I really fuck with. I LOVE when Batman dips into horror, love when Bruce is put into opposition wth the GCPD, and I love tragic villains (the scene where man-bat hides himself upon seeing Francine is a nice touch) All of which this episode has in spades. The scene with man-bats transformation is one of my favorite highlight of the episode. And the way the episode naturally builds up the mystery of Man-Bat is suburb. I feel like not a single scene or like of dialogue was wasted when they wrote this.

I also adored seeing animators/story boarders flex their skills with that flying perspective shot.

Like there is really not much to say about “On Leather Wings”. It’s an incredibly good example of a type 1: 4/5 superhero story under my ranking system. It’s not transcendent or anything but it’s a well done episode with basically no significant flaws I can find. The dialogue is good, the episode looks and sounds good (shout out to Kevin Konroy again), the premise is one I really fuck with, the main antagonist is a fun and pulpy, and all the important characters get to do interesting things and even create conflict in the case of Bullock. It even ends on a hopeful note that emphasizes this version of Batman’s compassion.

It’s a great introduction both to Batman the animated series and to Man-Bat as an antagonist.

It’s time to begin my superhero blogging journey, and what better way to start then with the most influential Batman adaptation of all time next to Adam West? The legendary Batman: the animated series.

Just to get this out of the way so I don’t have to repeat myself every time I reviews a new episode, the music and art direction on Batman: the animated series is genuinely stellar. The design of Gotham in this show still influences how Gotham is envisioned in minds eye of both creators and fans to this day. And it damn well should! The gothic/art deco architecture, the lighting and character designs, the way the entire city of Gotham is perpetually stuck in some vague approximation of the 1940s. Just UGH. The look of this show has been praised to hell and back and it should continue to be forever.

A lot of BTAS character designs dont look god tier on paper, until you see them in the show itself. I LOVE the way Bruce cape is used in the show, how it bellows on the wind while also being capable of enveloping him into a perfect bat blob in certain scenes. The pop of blue under his cape is also a much appreciated detail.

The music and sound design also slaps. The music in Batman the animated series is perfect. From the iconic Batman theme whenever Bruce appears doing somthing cool, to the other more subtle bits a music during particularly tense scenes. Im especially fond of the track that plays when we first meet Catwomen. And how it speeds up and slows down with the scene.

The animation is not JJK, but I don’t expect it to be. BTAS animation IS undeniably higher quality then basically any superhero show that came before it, and when it pops off it REALLY pops off (as we’re see in later episodes). I can see the clear influence of the Fletcher Superman cartoons throughout.

Something I actually appreciate about the show I actually is how much more, for lack of a batter term, restrained the animation is compared to some other shows. Compared to things like ATLA of the 2010s, the MAWS of today or the loony toons shows that we’re contemporary with BTAS during the 90s, the character movements in this show are ALOT less exaggerated. Which I think plays well into giving BTAS a much more grounded feel.

The voice acting of course is also great, may Kevin Konroy rest in peace knowing he has one of the best Batman and Bruce Wayne voices ever brought to the franchise. And I think Adrienne Barbeau does an excellent job with Selina.

Anyways enough yapping about the sound and feel of Batman the animated series as a whole and onto the episode itself:

ITS GOOD! A solid 3/5.

The Cat and the Claw part 1 and part 2 are no Shakespeare, but they all solid introductions to Batman the animated series as well as to Catwomen and Batman as characters. Selina’s cunning and string sense of justice is shown throughout the episode, as well as Bruce’s competence, compassion, and moral rigidity that would come to define him throughout the DCAU (the scene where he saves the cat from the truck always makes me smile) I have a soft spot for Batman and Catwomens banter when they first meet. Scratches the catbat Itch like nothing else.

The plot is action packed and very fun!! And very superhero.

Red Claw is a villain very much of her time and I CRINGE at her Russian accent, but her plan itself (use a plague to blackmail the city of Gotham) and her comedically overblown entrance behind a secret door only accessible by Piano is such fun James Bond antics that I can’t help but be fond of her despite myself.

I also adore her character design, and low-key wish Bruce Tim drew more women like this. She still a hot women (tm) but she is notably broader and more top heavy compared to Catwomen, and the reds of her design are very nice.

I also like the running theme throughout the episode of “don’t underestimate women” I certainly don’t think Batman the animated series is some groundbreaking work of feminist writing, it’s VERY 90s in how it approaches this theme (hell I think the “women touch” and “opposite sex” lines carries with it some unintentional bio essentialism) but I think for what it is it’s solid, I want to especially praise the episode for its revolutionary ability to (checks notes) “write women like people”. I know, I know, the bar is in hell, but I gotta praise the show for clearing it!!

Im especially fond of the scene in Mavens house, when shes all alone in her and Selina’s apartment and gets attacked by one of Red Claws men. The sequence of Maven noticing the dude coming up from behind, throwing the glass of orange juice in her attackers face, and her panicked fiddling with the door lock is always one Ive adored. Maven is not Batman, she’s not Catwomen. She cannot fend off an attacker by herself nor would I expect her to be able to. But rather then handing her the idiot ball and making her an object for Batman to retrieve (which is the actual problem with most badly written damsel in distress stories) the story goes out of its way to show her acting like how a regular person would in this situation. She fights back, she panics and makes critical mistakes as she tries to flee, and is ultimately saved by Batman at the last minute. It’s a small thing, but it makes me happy every time I see it. There is nothing wrong in my opinion with writing a story whwre a women needs to be saved. It’s only a problem when said women’s humanity is forgotten by the script in favor of making her an object.